
^s/j^^y^ '>...^^^- 



H 



YOUNG FOLKS' 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON, 

author of "atlantic essays," " army life in a black regiment,' 
"malbone," etc. 



illustrates. 



BOSTON: 
LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. 

NEW YORK: 
LEE, SHEPARD, AND DILLINGHAM. 

1875- 



E\nz 
.1 

Hfe' 



COPYRIGHT. 

THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON. 

A.D. 1875. 



Boston : 

Electrotyped and Printed by 

Rand, Avery, & Co. 



PREFACE. 



IT is the aim of this book to tell the story of the 
United States in a clear and simple manner, for 
young and old. In writing it, I have adopted two plain 
rules, — to omit all names and dates not really needful, 
and to make liberal use of the familiar traits and inci- 
dents of every day. If there is any merit in the design, 
it belongs largely to my honored friend, George B. 
Emerson, Esq., of Boston, from whom the first sugges- 
tion of the work came, and by whose kind co-operation 
it has been carried through. I am indebted, also, to 
Rev. George E. Ellis, D.D., to Richard Frothingham, 
Esq., and to Francis Parkman, Esq., for valuable hints 
and criticisms ; and to Rev. J. G. Palfrey, D.D., and 
the Maine Historical Society, for permission to use 
important maps, originally engraved for them. 

It will be noticed that less space than usual is given, 
in these pages, to the events of war, and more to the 
affairs of peace. This course has been deliberately 
pursued. It is desirable, no doubt, that the reader 



IV PREFACE. 

should fully understand the way in which every impor- 
tant war began and ended, and that he should read 
enough of the details to know in what spirit it was 
carried on. Beyond this, the statistics of sieges and 
battles are of little value, and are apt to make us forget 
that the true glory of a nation lies, after all, in orderly 
progress. Times of peace, the proverb says, have few 
historians ; but this may be more the fault of the histo- 
rians than of the times. . T. W. H. 

Newport, R.I., Jan. i., 1S75. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



Chapter Page 

I. The Earliest Inhabitants i 

II. The Mound-Builders 5 

III. The American Indians 13 

IV. The Coming of the Northmen 25 

V. The Coming of Columbus 31 

VI. The Successors of Columbus ...... 40 

VII. How America was explored and settled . . . .46 

VIII. The Massachusetts Colonies 55 

IX. The other New England Colonies 65 

X. Colonial Days in New England 74 

XI. Old Dutch Times in New York and New Jersey . . 88 
XII. The Friends in Pennsylvania and the Swedes in Delaware toi 

XIII. The Old Dominion and Maryland no 

XIV. The Southern Colonies 124 

XV. The Indian Wars 131 

XVI. The French and Indian Wars 142 

XVII. The Beginning of the Revolution 159 

XVIII. Concord, Lexington, and Bunker Hill . . . .178 

XIX. Washington takes Command 188 

XX. The Declaration of Independence 194 

XXI. The Remainder of the War 202 

XXII. After the War 214 

XXIII. Washington and Adams 220 

XXIV. Jefferson's Administration 235 

XXV. Madison and Monroe, the War of 1812, and the Era of 

Good Feeling 248 

XXVI. Adams and Jackson. — Internal Improvements. — Nullifi- 
cation and the Antislavery Movement .... 259 
XXVII. Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, and the Annexation of Texas 267 
XXVIII. Polk and the Mexican War 273 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Chapter Page 

XXIX. The Approach of the Civil War. —Taylor, Fillmore, and 

Pierce 280 

XXX. The Opening of the Civil War. — Buchanan . . .286 

XXXI. The Civil War. — Lincoln . - ; .... 293 

XXXII. After the Civil War. —Grant 322 

APPENDIX. 

I. Books for Consultation . -331 

II. List of Presidents and Vice-Presidents -^27 

in. List of States and Territories 338 

IV. Area of the United States 339 

V. Declaration of Independence 340 

VI. Constitution of the United States 345 

Index 363 



YOUNG FOLKS' UNITED STATES. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS. 

WHO were the very first men and women that 
ever trod the soil of North America ? Of what 
race were they, of what color, of what size ? and how 
did they look ? History cannot answer these questions. 
Science can only say, " Perhaps we shall find out ; but 
we do not yet know." 

We know already a good deal about the changes in 
form and appearance of the North- American Continent 
itself. We know that a large part of it was at one 
time covered with a thick coating of ice, and that this 
vast glacier several times stretched itself farther south- 
ward, as the climate grew colder, and then shrank to 
smaller size again, as the climate, during unknown 
ages, grew milder. We know that the whole surface of 
the continent has risen or sunk, irregularly, at various 
times ; so that the sea once covered much that is now 
dry land. We know that plants and animals of species 
now unknown have existed in many parts of the conti- 
nent. The reindeer, which is now found only in the far 



2 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

north, once roamed as far south as Kentucky. The 
monkey, which is now found in South America, was 
once an inhabitant of North America also. The rhi- 
noceros is now found only in Asia and Africa ; but sev- 
eral distinct species once existed in North America, 
one of these being as large as an elephant. There 
were, at least, five different species of camel, some of 
them reaching a very large size. Wild horses, or horse- 
like animals, of at least thirty different species, have at 
different times galloped or grazed in North America, 
though the first European explorers did not find a sin- 
gle species surviving. Some of these had three toes on 
each foot, some had four, instead of the solid hoofs of 
our present horses ; and there were cloven-footed ani- 
mals no larger than squirrels ; while others, again, were 
as large as elephants. There were also gigantic animals 
of the sloth family, and, in short, a great variety of 
quadrupeds now unknown. No written history tells of 
them ; we do not know whether human eyes ever saw 
most of them : but there are the bones in the soil ; and 
new explorations, especially in Colorado, are constantly 
bringing more and more species to the light. 

But most remarkable among all these fossil raiimals 
were two great quadrupeds akin to the elephant, and 
called the "mammoth" and the "mastodon." They 
once went trampling through the forests, tearing down 
the branches of trees for food ; and they sometimes 
sank and died in the swamps, unable to move their 
huge weight out of the mire. They were ten or twelve 
feet high (taller than any living elephant) ; and their 
tusks have been found eleven feet long. We know 
their shape and size and appearance ; and we know 



4 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

that their race must have existed on the soil of North 
America for thousands of years. Whether men lived 
at the same time with them on the American Conti- 
nent, we do not know with certainty: yet there can 
be little doubt that it was so. In France there have 
been found rude drawings of the mammoth, made by 
men on ivory and slate, and mingled with remains 
of extinct animals in caves. In America no such pos- 
itive proofs have been discovered ; but human bones 
and flint implements have been found mingled with 
these animal remains. It is very possible that the 
mammoth and the mastodon were gradually destroyed 
by men. In Southern Africa all the men of a village 
go out to hunt an elephant ; and, in spite of his great 
size, they kill him with bows and arrows. So it is pos- 
sible that the flint implements found with the bones of 
these larger quadrupeds may be the very knives and 
arrow-heads that killed them ; and perhaps this is all 
that ever will be known of the way in which that mighty 
race disappeared from the surface of the earth. But, 
at any rate, the mastodons and mammoths perished at 
last ; and the men and women who had looked on them^ 
passed away likewise, leaving only obscure and scat- 
tered memorials of themselves. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 



AFTER the last mammoth was slain, it is very 
probable that many centuries passed before the 
Mound-Builders came to occupy the soil where these 
animals had been. The Mound-Builders were a race 
of men who never saw the mammoth, we may be very 
sure ; or else they would have carved or painted its 
likeness, as they did those of the birds and beasts they 
knew. But, though they made pictures of these crea- 
tures, they unfortunately did not make equally distinct 
pictures of themselves ; so 
that we do not know what 
they looked like ; and, as they 
wrote no books, we do not 
know what language they 
spoke. All that we know of 
them is from the wonderful 
works of industry and skill 
that they left behind, and es- 
pecially from certain great 
mounds of earth they built. 
It is from these great works 
that they derive their name. the serpent moind. 

One of the most remarkable of these mounds is to 

5 




6 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

be seen in Adams County, Ohio. It represents an 
immense snake a thousand feet long, and five feet 
tliick, lying along a bluff that rises above a stream. 
There you can trace all the curves and outlines of the 
snake, ending in a tail with a triple coil. In the open 
mouth, something in the shape of an egg seems to be 
held ; and this egg-shaped mound is one hundred and 
sixty feet long. This shows on what a vast scale 
these earth-works are constructed. Sometimes they 
are shaped like animals, sometimes like men. In some 
places there are fortifications, often enclosing one or 
two acres of ground, sometimes even four hundred 
acres. Sometimes these earth-works have from four- 
teen to sixteen miles of embankment. In other places, 
there are many small mounds, arranged in a straight 
line, at distances nearly equal, and extending for many 
miles. These are supposed to have been used for send- 
ing signals from station to station across the country. 
Then, in other places, there are single mounds, some- 
times sixty feet high, sometimes ninety, with steps cut 
in the earth upon one side, leading up to the top, which 
is flat, and sometimes includes from one to five acres 
of ground. 

These mounds are scattered all down the valley of 
the Mississippi, and along many of its tributary streams. 
There are thousands of them, large or small, within the 
single State of Ohio. They are not made of earth alone, 
for some of them show brick-work and stone-w'ork here 
and there, though earth is always the chitf material. 
Some of them have chambers within, and the remains 
of wooden walls ; and sometimes charred wood is 
found on top, as if fires had been kindled there. This 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 7 

fact is very important, as it helps us to understand the 
purpose of the higher mounds ; for in Central America 
there are similar mounds, except that those have on 
their tops the remains of stone temples and palaces. So 
it is supposed that the higher mounds of the Mississippi 
Valley may have been built for purposes of worship ; 




THE HOPETON WORKS, IN OHIO. 



and that, although their summits are now bare, yet the 
charred wood may be the remains of sacrificial fires, or 
of wooden temples that were burned long ago. 

It is certain that these Mound-Builders were in some 
ways well advanced in civilization. All their earth- 
works show more or less of engineering skill. They 



8 



YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



vary greatly in shape : they show the square, the circle, 
the octagon, the ellipse ; and sometimes all these fig- 
ures are combined in one series of works. But the 
circle is always a true circle, and the square a true 
square ; and, moreover, there are many squares that 
measure exactly one thousand and eighty feet on a side, 
and this shows that the Mound-Builders had some defi- 
nite standard of measurement. 




GRADED WAY IN OHIO. 



There have been found in these mounds many tools 
and ornaments, made of copper, silver, and valuable 
stones. There are axes, chisels, knives, bracelets, and 
beads ; there are pieces of thread and of cloth ; and 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. g 

gracefully ornamented vases of pottery. The Mound- 
Builders knew how to model in clay a variety of objects 
such as birds, quadrupeds, 
and human faces. They 
practised farming, though 
they had no domestic ani- 





VASES FROM THE MOUNDS. 



mals to help them. They had neither horses nor oxen 
nor carts ; so that all the vast amount of earth required 
for these mounds must have been carried in baskets 
or skins ; and this shows 
that their population 
must have been very nu- 
merous, or they never 
could have attempted so 
much. They mmed for 
copper near Lake Supe- 
rior, where their deserted 
mines may still be seen. 
In one of these mines, 
there is a mass of copper 
weighing nearly six tons, partly raised from the bottom, 
and supported on wooden logs, now nearly decayed. 




ANCIENT MINING SHAFT. 



lO YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

It was evidently being removed to the top of the mine, 
nearly thirty feet above ; and the stone and copper 
tools of the miners were found lying about, as if the 
men had just gone away. 

Now, when did this ancient race of Mound-Builders 
live ? There is not a line of their writing left, so far 
as is now known ; nor is there any distinct tradition 
about them. But there is one sure proof that they lived 
very long ago. At the mouth of this very mine just 
described, there are trees, nearly four hundred years old, 
growing on earth that was thrown out in digging the 
mine. Of course, the mine is older than the trees. 
On a mound at Marietta, O., there are trees eight hun- 
dred years old. The mounds must, of course, be as 
old as that, and nobody knows how much older. It is 
very probable that this mysterious race may have built 
these great works more than a thousand years ago. 

It is very natural to ask whether the Mound-Builders 
were the ancestors of our present American Indians. 
It does not seem at all likely that they were, because 
the habits of the two races were so very different. 
Most Indian tribes show nothing of the skill and indus- 
try required for these great works. The only native 
tribes that seem to have a civilization of their own are 
certain races, called Pueblo Indians (meaning village 
Indians), in New Mexico. These tribes live in vast 
stone buildings, holding, sometimes, as many as five 
thousand people. These buildings are usually placed 
on the summits of hills, and have walls so high as only 
to be reached by ladders. The Pueblo Indians dress 
neatly, live in families, practise various arts, and are 
utterly different from the roving tribes farther north. 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. II 

But, after all, the style of building of even the Pueblo 
Indians is wholly unlike any thing we know of the 
Mound-Builders ; for the Mound-Builders do not seem 
to have erected stone buildings, nor do the Pueblo 
Indians build lofty mounds. 




I'UEBLO BUILDING, AS IT NOW APPEARS. 



Perhaps this singular people will always remain a 
mystery. They may have come from Asia, or have been 
the descendants of Asiatics accidentally cast on the 
American shore. Within the last hundred years, no 
less than fifteen Japanese vessels have been driven 
across the Pacific Ocean by storms, and wrecked on 
the Pacific coast of North America ; and this may have 



12 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



happened as easily a thousand years ago as a hundred. 
It is certain that some men among the Mound-Builders 
had reached the sea in their travels ; for on some of 
their carved pipes there are representations of the seal 
and of the manati, or sea-cow, — animals whom they 





PUEBLO BUILDING, RESTORED. 

could only have seen by travelling very far to the east 
or west, or else by descending the Mississippi River to 
its mouth. But we know neither whence they came nor 
whither they went. Very few human bones have been 
found among the mounds ; and those found had almost 
crumbled into dust. We only know that the Mound- 
Builders came, and built wonderful works, and then 
made way for another race, of whose origin we know 
almost as little. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 



WHEN the first European explorers visited the 
Atlantic coast of North America, they found it 
occupied by rov- 
ing tribes of men 
very unlike Euro- 
peans in aspect. 
They were of a 
copper-color, 
with high cheek 
bones, small 
black eyes, and 
straight black 
hair. They 
called t h e m- 
selves by vari- 
ous names in dif- 
ferent parts of 
the country, 
such as Mohegans, Pequots. Massachusetts, Narra- 
gansetts, Hurons, and Wampanoags. But they almost 
all belonged to two great families, the Algonquins and 
the Iroquois ; these last being commonly called the 
"Six Nations." The Europeans named them all "In- 

13 




INDIAN WIGWAMS. 



14 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

dians," because all the first explorers supposed that 
North America was only the eastern part of India. 

These tribes of natives differed very much, in some 
respects, as to their mode of life. Some were warlike, 
others peaceful. Some lived only by hunting : others 
had fields of waving corn, and raised also beans, pump- 
kins, tobacco, American hemp, and sunflowers, — these 
last for the oil in the seeds. Some had only little tents 
of skin or bark, called "wigwams:" others built per- 
manent villages, with streets, and rows of houses. These 
houses were sometimes thirty feet high, and two hun- 
dred and forty feet long, and contained as many as 
twenty families. They were built of bark, supported 
by wooden posts : they had a slit, about a foot wide, 
the whole length of the roof, to let the light in, and the 
smoke out. The fires were built on the ground, in a 
row, under the long opening. 

But, however carefully they may have built their 
houses, all these Indians were alike in being a roving 
race, living in the open air most of their time, and very 
unwilling to be long confined to one place. They were 
always moving about, changing their abode at different 
seasons of the year, or when they wished to pursue a 
different kind of game. One of their commonest rea- 
sons for removing was that they had burned the woods 
immediately around them. So when the first white 
settlers came, and the Indians were puzzled to know 
why these strangers arrived, some of them thought that 
it must be because they had burned up all the wood in 
the country from which they came, and that they visited 
the American continent merely to find fuel. 

The Indians were not commonly equal to the Euro- 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 1 5 

peans in bodily strength : they were not so strong in 
the arms and hands, nor could they strike such heavy 
blows. But, on the other hand, their endurance was 
wonderful. They were very light of foot, and their best 
runners could run seventy or eighty miles in a day ; and 
they could bear the greatest tortiire without uttering a 
groan. In the woods they could hear sounds, and 
observe signs, which no white man could perceive ; and 
they had the power of travelling for miles in a straight 
line through the densest forest, being guided by the 
appearance of the moss and bark upon the trees. 

When the colonists first arrived, they found the In- 
dians dressed chiefly in the skins of animals, which 
they prepared by smoking them, instead of by tanning, 
as is now the practice. But they soon obtained blankets 
from the colonists, and decorated them with beads and 
shells and feathers. On great occasions, such as coun- 
cils and war-dances, the chiefs wore a great quantity 
of these decorations, and also painted their faces with 
bright colors. The women, or " squaws " as they were 
called, had this same practice ; and one old Puritan 
clergyman wrote with great indignation, "The squaws 
use the sinful art of painting their faces." The women 
were more plainly dressed than the men, and, like 
them, sometimes tattooed their bodies. But the women 
wore their hair long, while the men commonly shaved 
theirs off, except one lock, called the " scalp-lock," which 
was left as a point of honor ; so that, if one Indian 
killed another, he could cut off the scalp, lifting it by 
this lock. In summer they went about almost naked ; 
and one of the first white settlers complained that it 
was hard fighting hand to hand with an Indian, because 



i6 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



there was " nothing to hold on by but his hair," and 
not much of that. 

The food of the Indians was very simple : it con- 
sisted of what they obtained by hunting and fishing, 
with pounded corn, acorns, berries, and a few vegeta- 
bles. They used tobacco, but had no intoxicating 
drinks till they got them from Europeans. They knew 
how to make rush mats and wooden mortars and 
earthen vessels. They made fish-hooks of bone, and nets 
out of the fibres of hemp. They made pipes of clay 
and stone, often curiously carved or moulded. They 
made stone axes and arrow-heads ; and these are often 
found in the ground to this day, wherever there is the 
site of an Indian village ; and they made beads, called 
"wampum," out of shells. After the Europeans came, 

they supplied the In- 
dians with their own 
beads, and with iron 
axes and arrow- 
heads, and, at last, 
with fire-arms. 

But the most in- 
genious inventions 
of the Indians were 
the snow-shoe and 
the birch canoe. The 
snow-shoe was made 
of a maple-wood 
frame, three or four 
feet long, curved and 
tapering, and filled 
This net-work was 




LEARNING TO USE SNOW-SHOES. 



in with a net-work of deer's hide 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 



17 



fastened to the foot by thongs, only a light elastic 
moccason being worn. Thus the foot was supported 
on the surface of the snow ; and an Indian could travel 
forty miles a day upon snow-shoes, and could easily 
overtake the deer and moose, whose pointed hoofs 
cut through the crust. The peculiar pattern varied 
with almost ev^ery tribe, as did also the pattern of 
the birch canoe. This w^as made of the bark of the 
white-birch, stretched over a very light frame of white- 
cedar. The whole bark of a birch-tree was stripped 




BIKCH CA.NOE. 



off, and put round the frame, without being'torn. The 
edges w'ere sewed with thongs cut from the roots of the 
cedar, and were then covered with pitch made from 
the gum of trees. If torn, the canoe could be mended 
with pieces of bark, fastened in the same way. The 
largest of these canoes were thirty feet long, and would 
carry ten or twelve Indians : they were very light, and 
could be paddled with ease. They were often very 
gracefully shaped, and drew very little water. The 
birch canoe and the snow-shoe are still much in use, 



l8 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

not only among Indians, but among white men, in the 
northern parts of the United States and in Canada. 

Many of the Indian tribes were divided into smaller 
classes, or clans, distinguished by a mark, or totem, 
tattooed on the breast ; such as the wolf, deer, tor- 
toise, beaver, bear, snipe, heron, hawk. Each class 
had one or more chiefs, or sachems, who represented it 
in the great councils. The sachem was commonly a 
man, but sometimes a woman ; and the first settlers in 
New England found a "great squaw sachem," who 
ruled over much country. These rulers did not govern 
by any written laws, but by fixed customs and tradition, 
which had great weight with the Indians ; and the sub- 
jects carried their best fruit and game to the sachem. 

Each class in a tribe was supposed to be particularly 
favored by the spirit of the animal represented in its 
totcjn. The Indians thought that all animals had pro- 
tecting spirits ; and they often addressed animals as if 
they were human. One of the early missionaries de- 
scribes an Indian who shot at a large bear, and wounded 
him. The bear fell wounded, and lay whining and groan- 
ing. The Indian went up to him, and said, " Bear, 
you are a coward, and no w^arrior. You know that 
your tribe and mine are at war, and that yours began 
it. If you had wounded me, I would not have uttered 
a sound ; and yet you sit here and cry, and disgrace 
your tribe." 

They believed that the winds and the stars had also 
spirits ; and they had many wild legends about such 
things, some of which are preserved in Longfellow's 
" Hiawatha." They believed in a God, or sometimes 
in many gods ; and they believed that they should live 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. I9 

again after death. When any warrior died, they buried 
his weapons with his body, that he might use them 
again in the happy hunting-grounds of the blest in 
heaven. Their religious services were strange and 
noisy, with peculiar songs and dances ; and they had 
" medicine-men," who "were something between priests 
and physicians, and claimed to cure by magic spells, 
as well as by the simple remedies they knew. The 
Indians had no written language, but had ways of com- 
municating to one another by signs on rocks and trees. 
They had no money, but used wampum-beads for coins ; 
and these were so neatly made, and so convenient, that 
the first European settlers used them also, at the rate 
of four black beads, or eight white beads, for a penny. 
They had belts made with this wampum, which were 
used to record all important events in the history of the 
tribe ; and treaties were thus kept in memory for years. 

Schoolcraft gives a copy of a drawing made by two 
Indian guides on a piece of birch bark. It was placed 
upon an upright pole, for the purpose of informing 
their comrades that a party of fourteen white men and 
two Indians had encamped at that place. 

The eight figures in the upper row, with hats on, and 
with muskets beside them, represent as many white 
soldiers. In the second row, No. i represents the oifi- 
cer in command, \vith a sword ; No. 2, with a book, the 
secretary ; No. 3, with a hammer, the geologist ; 4, 5, 6, 
attendants, one of these being the interpreter. Nos. 7 
and 8 represent the two guides, who are distinguished 
as Indians by being without hats. Figure 11 represents 
a prairie-hen, and 12 a tortoise, which had been eaten 
by the party. Figures 13, 14, 15, indicate that there 



20 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

were three separate fires. The inclination of the pole 
showed the direction of the proposed march, and three 
notches in the wood showed that it was to be a three- 
days' expedition. 

The Indians had great courage, self-control, and pa- 
tience. They were grave and dignified in their man- 
ners, on important occasions : in their councils they were 
courteous to one another, and discussed all important 










questions at great length. They were often kind and 
generous, and sometimes even forgiving ; but they 
generally held sternness to be a virtue, and forgiveness 
a weakness. They were especially cruel to captives, 
putting them to death with all manner of tortures, in 
which women took an active part. It was the custom 
among them for women to do most of the hard work, 
in order that the bodies of the men might be kept 
supple and active for the pursuits of the chase and war. 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 21 

When employed on these pursuits, the Indian men 
seemed incapable of fatigue ; but in the camp, or in 
travelling, the women carried the burdens, and, when a 
hunter had carried a slain deer on his shoulders for 
a long distance, he would throw it down within sight of 
the village, that his squaw might go and bring it in. 

Most of the Indian tribes lived in a state of con- 
stant warfare with one another. When there was a 
quarrel between tribes, and war seemed ready to 
break out, strange ceremonies were used. Some lead- 
ing chief would paint his body black from head to foot, 
and would hide himself in the woods or in a cavern. 
There he would fast and pray, and call upon the Great 
Spirit ; and would observe his dreams, to see if they 
promised good or evil. If he could dream of a great 
war-eagle hovering before him, it would be a sign 
of triumph. After a time he would come forth from 
the woods, and return among his people. Then he 
would address them, summon them to war, and assure 
them that the Great Spirit was on their side. Then 
he would bid the warriors to a feast at his wigwam. 
There they would find him no longer painted in black, 
but in bright and gaudy colors, called "war-paint." 
The guests would be also dressed in paint and feathers, 
and would seat themselves in a circle. Then wooden 
trenchers, containing the flesh of dogs, would be 
placed before them ; while the chief would sit smoking 
his pipe, and would not yet break his long and exhaust- 
ing fast. 

After the feast, the war-dance would follow, perhaps 
at night, amid the blaze of fires and lighted pine-knots. 
A painted post would be driven into the ground ; and 



22 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

the crowd would form a wide circle round it. The 
war-chief would leap into the open space, brandishing 
his hatchet, and would chant his own deeds and those 
of his fathers, acting out all that he described, and 
striking at the post as if it were an enemy. Warrior 
after warrior would follow, till at last the whole band 




INDIAN WAR-DANCE. 



would be dancing, shouting, and brandishing their 
weapons, striking and stabbing at the air, and filling 
the forest with their yells. 

Much of the night would pass in this way. In the 
morning the warriors would leave the camp in single 
file, still decorated with paint and feathers and orna- 
ments ; and, as they entered the woods, the chief 



THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 23 

would fire his gun, and each in turn would do the same. 
Then they would halt near the village, would take off 
their ornaments and their finery, and would give all 
these things to the women, who had followed them for 
this purpose. Then the warriors would go silently and 
stealthily through the forest to the appointed place of 
attack. Much of their skill consisted in these silent 
approaches, and in surprises and stratagems, and long 
and patient watchings. They attached no shame to 
killing an unarmed enemy, or to private deceit and 
treachery, though to their public treaties they were al- 
ways faithful. They were desperately brave, and yet 
they saw no disgrace in running away when there was 
no chance of success. Their weapons were, at first, the 
bow-and-arrow, and a sort of hatchet, called a " toma- 
hawk ; " and they had shields of bison-hide, and some- 
times breastplates of twigs interwoven with cord. Af- 
terwards they learned the use of fire-arms from the 
whites, and became skilful with these weapons, losing 
much of their skill with the bow-and-arrow. Some 
tribes built strong forts, with timber walls, palisades, 
banks, and ditches. In these forts they had magazines 
of stones to hurl down upon those who attacked them ; 
and there were gutters by which to pour down streams 
of water, should the fort be set on fire. 

When first visited by Europeans, the Indians were 
said to be already diminishing in number, through war 
and pestilence ; and they have diminished ever since, 
till many tribes have wholly disappeared. At first they 
were disposed to be friendly with the white men ; but 
quarrels soon arose, each side being partly to blame. 
The savages often burned villages, carried away cap- 



24 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

tives, and laid whole regions waste. In return, their 
villages and forts were destroyed, and their tribes were 
driven westward, or reduced to a mere handful. Some 
of these wars will be described farther on in this his- 
tory ; and to this day some of the western settlements 
of the United States live in constant fear of attack from 
Indian tribes. But this race is passing away ; and in 
another century there will hardly be a roving Indian 
within the limits of the United States. Only those 
tribes will survive which have adopted, in part, the 
habits of civilization. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN. 

THERE is in the city of Newport, R.I., a pictur- 
esque old building, the precise history of which 
is not known. It is commonly called the " Round 
Tower," or the " Old Stone Mill." It is built of stone, 
and consists of a low, circular tower, supported on eight 
arches. Within the memory of living men, there still 
remained a floor above these arches, making a second 
story to the building. There are two windows and a 
fireplace, but nothing to show for what use the building 
was originally employed. Yet it is not, outwardly, a 
ruin, since the cement in which the stones are embedded 
is as strong as ever, and the whole structure seems 
complete, except that it is roofless. The first mention 
of this building is by Gov. Benedict Arnold in his will, 
dated 1677 ; and he calls it "my stone built windmill." 
But it is so unlike any other windmill in America, that 
it was for a long time doubted whether it could have 
been built for that purpose. 

Some thirty-five years ago. Professor Rafn, of the 
Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries at Copenhagen, 
published a book showing that the Northmen, or Scan- 
dinavians, undoubtedly visited the shores of North 
America about A.D. 1000, and that they probably 

25 



26 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

entered Narragansett Bay. It then occurred to some 
American antiquarians, that this old building at New- 
port might have been erected by those early voyagers. 
Examination was also made, at about the same time, of 
an inscription on a rock near Dighton, Mass., called 
the " Dighton Rock ; " and it was thought that some 
words of this were in the Norse language. Then it 
was remembered that a skeleton in a brass breastplate 
had been dug up at Fall River, Mass., a town lying 
between Dighton and Newport ; and it was thought 
that this might be the remains of a Norse viking, or 
rover. The poet Longfellow has written a ballad 
about this " Skeleton in Armor." The skeleton was 
unfortunately destroyed not long after ; so that we do 
not know much about it : but it is now known that the 
Norsemen did not use brass armor, while the American 
Indians sometimes used for breastplates pieces of brass 
kettles, which they got from the English colonists. 
The inscription at Dighton Rock is now supposed to 
have been made by the Indians, as it resembles many 
sculptured rocks in the interior of the continent ; and 
the skeleton may have been that of an Indian warrior. 
And, as for the " Old Stone Mill," it is found to be very 
much like some still standing in that very county in 
England from which Governor Arnold came. So it is 
not at all likely that any of these memorials could date 
back as far as the time of the Northmen ; and yet it is 
altogether probable that the Northmen visited America 
at a very early time. 

We must remember that the Northmen were great 
sailors, like their descendants, the Danes, Norwegians, 
and Swedes. It is rare to find a large crew of sailors 



THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN. 



27 



without a man in it who belongs to one of these na- 
tions ; and their ancestors had the same love of the sea. 
Now, when we look on the maj^, we see that it does not 
look very far from Norway to Iceland, nor from Green- 
land to Labrador. When once arrived at Labrador, 
any persevering navigator would be tempted to follow 
down the coast of North America. But the Northmen 




THE "old stone MILL.' 

certainly settled Iceland a thousand years ago : and it 
is known from the annals of Iceland that a colony was 
sent thence to Greenland, and there remained for a 
long time ; and some of these emigrants may easily 
have sailed on to Labrador ; or some vessel bound for 
Greenland may have been driven too far west, and so 
reached the mainland without intending it. At any 



28 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

rate, it is recorded in the Norse traditions that the 
Northmen in sailing west actually arrived, about A.D, 
looo, at some country beyond Greenland. 

This is the way the story is told in the Norse books. 
A prince, named Leif the Lucky, son of Erik the Red, 
sailed west from Greenland with thirty-five men, one 
of whom was a German. After they had landed on 
a strange land, this German, named Tyrker, strayed off 
one day, and was thought to be lost. When he came 
back, he talked German, and rolled his eyes around, 
and seemed out of his senses. But at last he said in 
the Norse language, " I have not been far ; but I have 
found something to tell of : I have found vines and 
grapes." 

" But is it true, my foster-brother ? " asked Leif. 

" Surely it is," he answered ; " for I came from the 
land of grapes and vines." 

"Then they slept for the night," the Norse narrative 
says ; " but in the morning Leif said to his sailors, ' Now 
we shall have two jobs. Each day we will either gather 
grapes, or hew grape-vines, or fell trees, so there will 
be a cargo for my ship ; ' and that was the counsel 
taken. It is said that their long-boat was filled with 
grapes. Now was hewn a cargo for the ship, and, when 
spring came, they got ready and sailed off ; and Leif 
gave a name to the land, after its sort, and called it 
' Vinland.' They sailed then afterwards into the sea, 
and had a fair wind until they saw Greenland." 

A year or two afterwards Leif's brother, Thorwald, 
wished to visit Vinland ; for he thought that the land 
had been too little examined. They came to the place 
where Leif had built huts. There they spent the win- 



THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN. 29 

ter, and in the spring went exploring along the shore 
"to the westward." At last they saw three boats made 
of skin, with three men in each. These the Northmen 
attacked, and killed all but one. They were, appar- 
ently, Indians, called in the Norse legends " Skrael- 
ings.'' Then came from within the firth innumerable 
skin-boats, and made toward them. Thorwald said 
then, " We will set up our battle-shields, and guard our- 
selves the best we can, but fight little against them." 
So they did ; and the Skraelings shot at them for a 
while, but then tied as fast as they could. But they 
had wounded Thorwald by an arrow, so that he died ; 
and this party of Norsemen also became discouraged, 
and went back to Greenland the next spring. 

But Vinland was now well known ; and still larger 
parties of Northmen came afterwards. They sent home 
very enthusiastic accounts of their new dwelling-place ; 
praising the grapes and the salmon and the soil, and 
saying that the day and night were more nearly equal 
than in Greenland or Iceland. The Indians, or Skrael- 
ings, soon came in skin-boats to trade with them. In 
one case the Skraelings were all busy, selling furs for 
red cloth, when a bull, that belonged to the strangers, 
came bellowing out of the wood ; and the Skraelings 
jumped into their canoe, and rowed away. The next 
time the Skraelings came, it was as warriors ; and they 
attacked the Northmen with their arrows, and could 
not be easily beaten off. So the strangers did not have 
an easy time. But they staid there several winters ; 
and a woman named Gudrid had a son named Snorri, 
who was, perhaps, the first white child born on this 
continent. 



30 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

There is much more of this same sort in the tradi- 
tions of the Northmen ; but there is nothing to yield us 
any more definite knowledge. There is little doubt of 
their having reached the North American coast ; but 
whether Vinland was Rhode Island, or Nova Scotia, or 
some other place, we perhaps shall never know. For 
a time it was thought that it must be Rhode Island. 
The Norse narratives describe a mild climate, with wild 
grapes ; and it was thought that this must refer to New- 
port, R.I., where there are plenty of these grapes on 
the islands in the harbor. But wild grapes grow in 
Nova Scotia also ; and the climate there might seem 
mild to those who had come from Iceland. This is all 
we know about the matter. Perhaps there may yet 
be found along the coast of New England some real 
memorial of the Northmen ; and in the mean time, if 
it were not for their own legends, it would be hard to 
believe that they ever came. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. 



WHATEVER may have been the truth about the 
visit of the Northmen to America, it is certain, 
that, if they came, they sailed away again, never to 
return. Even their colony in 
Greenland was at last aban- 
doned ; and the memory 
of Vinland almost disap- 
peared. For nearly five 
centuries, so far as we know, 
not a European vessel 
crossed the Atlantic. Some 
of the older people in Ice- 
land may have remembered 
that their grandparents had 
told them of a country far 
to the west, where vines 
grew ; and perhaps they 
used to tell these legends, 
in the long, dark evenings, 
to the Spanish and English 
sailors who went on trading-voyages to Iceland. For, 
after a time, there began to be great activity among the 
nations of Southern Europe ; and voyages began to be 

31 




TOMB OF COLUMBUS. 



32 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

attempted in all directions. And one voyage was at 
last undertaken that was destined to make the New 
World known to the Old World at last. 

There was born at Genoa, in Italy, about 1435, ^ boy 
named " Cristoforo Colombo," or, in English, " Christo- 
pher Columbus." His father was a weaver of cloth, but 
his ancestors had been sailors ; and the little Columbus 
was sent to school at ten years old to learn navigation. 
At fourteen he went to sea ; and from that time, so long 
as he lived, he was either making voyages, or else draw- 
ing charts. He lived in Portugal, then in Spain, these 
being the great seafaring nations at that day ; and he 
sailed to almost all the ports then known. Most of his 
voyages, however, were in the Mediterranean Sea. In 
these there was almost as much fighting as sailing ; for 
that sea was full of pirates. On one occasion his ship 
was burnt, and he swam six miles to shore with the aid 
of a spar. And throughout all these adventures he was 
gradually forming the plan of sailing farther west upon 
the Atlantic than any one had yet dared to sail. 

But it must be remembered that the people of Eu- 
rope, in those days, did not know the real shape of the 
earth, as it is now known. Most persons did not sup- 
pose it to be a sphere. They thought it was a flat sur- 
face, with the ocean, like a great river, lying round 
about its edges. What was on the other side of this 
river, they hardly dared to guess. Yet some scientific 
men had got beyond this ignorant view ; and they sup- 
posed the earth to be a sphere, but thought it much 
smaller than it really was. They did not dream that 
there could be room on it for two wide oceans and for 
two great bodies of land. They thought that there was 



THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. ;^;^ 

but one continent on the globe, and one great ocean, 
and that, by sailing across the Atlantic, you would 
come, after a time, to India and Tartary and Cathay (as 
they called China) and Cipango (as they called Japan). 
Many beautiful things were brought from those coun- 
tries overland, — gold and pearls and beautiful silks; 
and so the kings of Europe would have been very glad 
to find a short way thither. This map shows clearly 
how the wisest men thought it might be done. The 
drawing was made by a friend of Columbus, in the very 
year when he made the first western voyage across the 
Atlantic. It shows the names of all the places just 
mentioned ; and it shows, moreover, how near at hand 
they were supposed to be, when the navigators of those 
days were making the maps. 

Columbus studied such maps, or helped to draw 
them, and grew more and more convinced, that, if he 
could only cross the unknown ocean, he would find 
India on the other side. Things often happened to 
confirm him in this opinion. Sailors from the Canary 
Islands told him of seeing land far in the west. His 
brother-in-law had seen a piece of curiously-carved 
wood, that had been washed on shore in Portugal, after 
a westerly gale. An old pilot had picked up a carved 
paddle at sea, a thousand miles west of the European 
coast. At Madeira, Columbus heard of pine-trees that 
had been washed up ; and at the Azores they had found 
tropical cane-stalks on the beach ; and once the bodies 
of two men, of foreign dress and aspect, had been cast 
on shore. Then it is supposed that Columbus went to 
Iceland ; and there he may ha\'e heard legends of the 
early expeditions to Vinland. 



THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. 35 

For ten years he endeavored to persuade some Euro- 
pean government to send him on a voyage of discovery 
across the Atlantic Ocean. First he tried the repubhc 
of Genoa, then the republic of Venice, and then the 
court of Portugal. For sevtn years he tried to interest 
the two sovereigns of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella. 
At last they gave him an audience, and liked his plans 
very much ; but the Archbishop of Granada, who was 
present, thought that Columbus asked for too much 
power over the lands he expected to discover : so the 
archbishop objected. Columbus refused to lower his 
claims, and left the court. He had gone two leagues 
(six miles), when the queen sent for him to return; 
and, when he had done so, the king and queen signed 
an agreement with him on his own terms. Isabella 
decided to fit out the expedition at the expense of her 
own kmgdom of Castile, the chief of the kingdoms of 
which Spain was composed. 

In three months the expedition was ready to sail. 
But sailors were unwilling to go ; and Columbus had 
to drive some of them by force into the service, as he 
had authority to do. There were three ships, — the 
"Santa Maria," the " Pinta," and the "Nina." The 
"Santa Maria" was a good-sized vessel, ninety feet 
long, and carrying sixty-six seamen. It was decked 
all over, and had four masts, — two with square sails, 
and two with lateen-sails. The other vessels were 
smaller, and without decks : and they were all provis- 
ioned for a year. There were, in all, one hundred and 
twenty persons on this bold expedition. 

They sailed from Palos Aug. 3, 1492. It took 
them a month to reach the Canarv Islands ; but after 



36 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



they had passed those, and found themselves on the 
lonely ocean at night, many of the sailors wept, and 
declared they never should return. Columbus quieted 
them, and they sailed on, day by day; sometimes hope- 
ful, and sometimes mutinous. Once the sailors plotted 




FLEET OF COLUMBUS SAILING FROM PALOS. 



to throw Columbus overboard. Often they thought 
they saw signs of land : once they were sure of it, and 
it proved only a cloud. At last land-birds were seen, 
and floating twigs with red berries, and a piece of wood 
rudely carved, and drifting seaweed, to which live crabs 
were clinging. Finally, one evening at ten o'clock, 
Columbus saw a light glimmering across the water ; 



THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. 37 

and the next morning a gun was fired from one of the 
smaller vessels, as the signal agreed upon for "making 
land." It was a very welcome sound ; for they had been 
seventy-one days in crossing the ocean, which is now 
crossed by steamers in nine. The vessels " lay to " 
that night ; and the next morning they saw a wooded 
island six miles away, and crowds of natives running 
along the beach. 

We may imagine how Columbus felt, when, at day- 
break, he was rowed to the shore, with waving banners, 
and to the sound of music, and when he stepped upon 
the beach where no European had ever before landed ! 
He bore the great flag of Spain, gorgeous with red and 
gold ; and his other captains bore each a green flag, 
inscribed with a cross. All knelt, and kissed the ground ; 
then Columbus, rising, and drawing his sword, took 
possession of the island in the name of Spain, and 
called it " San Salvador." 

He soon sailed farther on, visiting Cuba, Hayti, and 
other West-India Islands ; but he did not reach the 
mainland during this voyage. Returning to Spain, 
he was received with great honor : and a second expe- 
dition was fitted out under him, consisting of seventeen 
vessels and fifteen hundred men. With these he dis- 
covered the Windward Islands, — Jamaica and Porto 
Rico, — and founded a colony in Hayti; the island 
being then called " Hispaniola," or " Little Spain." 

On his third voyage, in 1498, he had six ships, and 
reached the mainland of South America, though not till 
it had been visited by another navigator, Amerigo Ves- 
pucci, or Americus Vespucius. The voyage of Ameri- 
cus Vespucius was made in the winter of 1497-98. He 



38 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

was long supposed to have deceived the world in giving 
this date to his discovery ; but it is now pretty well 
established that he spoke the truth. Ten years after, 
a European geographer gave the continent the name of 
" Americi Terra," or the land discovered by Americus ; 
and thus it has borne his name ever since. It would 
have seemed more just that it should have borne the 
name of Columbus ; and Americus Vespucius, who was 
his friend, had probably no intention of taking this 
honor from him ; but this was the way it happened. 
Meanwhile Sebastian Cabot had reached the North 
American Continent before Columbus ; so that the 
great navigator was not the first to set foot on the 
mainland. North or South. 

On this third voyage of Columbus, he touched at his 
colony of Hispaniola, where he found them all quarrel- 
ling ; and he was presently arrested by a Spanish com- 
missioner, Bobadilla, who had been sent out by the ene- 
mies of Columbus. He was carried on board ship in 
chains ; and, when the officers of the ship wished to 
take them off, he refused, saying, " I will wear them as a 
memento of the gratitude of princes." Reaching Spain, 
he was released, but could get no redress from the king. 
The truth was, that King Ferdinand was quite dissatis- 
fied with the new countries, as not yielding wealth 
enough. However, Columbus fitted out one more expe- 
dition, with four ships, and went on a final voyage, 
reaching the coast of North America at last, although he 
thought all his life that it was Asia he had visited. This 
last voyage was a sad one for him, as his own colony 
at Hispaniola refused to let him land ; and he was now 
old and weary, and as poor as ever. His one firm 



THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. 39 

friend, Queen Isabella, had died ; and he died himself 
in 1506, aged about seventy years. Some years after, 
King Ferdinand ordered a marble tomb to be placed 
upon his grave, with the inscription, " To Castile and 
Leon, Columbus gave a new world." But, more than 
two centuries after that, the remains of the great voya- 
ger were transferred to the great cathedral at Havana, 
that they might rest in the soil of that New World 
which he had discovered. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE SUCCESSORS OF COLUMBUS. 

THE next important voyage to America was 
planned by John Cabot, a merchant born at 
Venice, but living in Bristol, England. There had long 
been some commerce between Bristol and Iceland ; and 
it is very likely that John Cabot, like Columbus, had 
heard from Icelanders the tradition of the old Norse 
voyages. At any rate, he got from King Henry VII. 
of England a "patent," or permission, allowing himself 
and his three sons to cruise about the world, at their 
own expense, with five ships : and to take possession, 
in the name of England, of countries hitherto unknown 
to Europeans. It was agreed, that, whenever he had 
done so, nobody but the family of Cabot was to be 
allowed to trade with any such countries, unless the 
Cabots gave permission. They were allowed to sail in 
any direction, — east, west, or north; but what they 
really desired was to get to India by a north-west 
passage. At any rate, wherever they might go, one- 
fifth of the profits of their trade must be given to the 
King of England. 

So John Cabot and his sons set sail in 1497. Sebas- 
tian is the best known of these sons, and became more 
famous than even his father. We do not know exactly 
40 



THE SUCCESSORS OF COLUMBUS. 



41 



what their ships were ; but they probably looked like 
this picture, which is taken from a map made by Sebas- 
tian Cabot. We do not know much of their voyage ; 
only that they reached Labrador, and found it, as we 
may well suppose, cold and dismal. They said, when 
they got home, that the country was very barren, and 
that they had seen a great many white bears. They 




had not much more to say ; for they had not remained 
long;, havin<r reached home ajjain in three months. 
Their maps and journals are all lost; but we know 
that they were the first Europeans, after the Northmen, 
to visit the mainland of North America. 

A letter from a Venetian merchant, who was then in 
London, says that great honors were paid to John 
Cabot on his return to England. He was called " The 
Great Admiral," went about richly dressed in silk, and 



42 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



was followed by crowds of admirers. The merchant's 
letter adds, " These Englishmen run about after him 
like mad people; so that he can enlist as many of them 
as he pleases, and a number of our own rogues besides." 
A year after, in 1498, Sebastian Cabot sailed again 
with two ships, and three hundred men ; some of these 
being Italian " rogues," very likely. Such expeditions 
were very popular among reckless and daring men in 
those days. The explorers again went to Labrador, 

and then sailed three thou- 
sand miles along the coast, 
as far as Maryland. They 
were gone six months, and 
then had to go back for 
provisions. This second 
voyage convinced Sebas- 
tian Cabot that the land 
they had discovered was 
not Asia, after all, but a 
new continent. He made 
still another voyage after 
this, and explored Hud- 
son's Bay. Sebastian Cabot lived to be a very old man, 
and had a pension from the king, and the title " The 
Great Seaman." He loved the sea so much, that, even 
while he was dying, his wandering thoughts were upon 
the ocean. It was said of him, " He gave England a 
.continent — and no one knows his burial-place." 

The next expedition of which I have to tell is that of 
Ponce de Leon to the coast of Florida. There was a 
story told in Spain, and believed by many people, that 
there was somewhere in the regions discovered by 




SEBASTIAN CABOT. 



THE SUCCESSORS OF COLUMBUS. 43 

Columbus a wonderful fountain, whose waters would 
restore youth to any one who should bathe in them. 
Ponce de Leon was a Spaniard and a brave soldier : 
he had sailed with Columbus on his second voyage, and 
was finally made governor of the Island of Porto Rico. 
But he had heard of the fountain of youth, and resolved 
to discover it ; and so sailed westward from Porto Rico 
in March, 15 12, on that errand. At last, on Easter 
Sunday, — a clay which the Spaniards call Pascua Flor- 
ida, or Flowery Easter, — land was seen. It was the 
peninsula of Florida, then thought to be an island ; and 
its blossoming forests seemed to him so beautiful, that 
he gave it this name. 

Ponce de Leon landed near what is now St. Augus- 
tine. He explored the coasts and islands for many 
weeks, and then returned home. He visited the flowery 
land again, five years after, meaning to establish a 
colony, but was driven away by the Indians, was 
wounded with an arrow, and went back to Spain to die 
without ever finding the fountain of youth. 

It would be interesting to tell of other voyages that 
took place in those years, when the New World seemed 
to Europeans so very new. It is exciting to hear how 
Balboa, crossing the Isthmus of Darien in 15 13, came, 
for the first time, in sight of an unknown sea, — the 
vast Pacific Ocean ; how he knelt on the mountain-top 
from which he saw it, and thanked God for this great 
discovery ; and how, descending to the shore, he waded 
in, waist-deep, and, waving his sword, took possession 
of the ocean for the King of Spain, and pledged him- 
self to defend it for his sovereign. It is interesting to 
read the adventures of Cortez, who conquered Mexico, 



44 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

and of Pizarro, who overcame Peru. But, as these 
things do not strictly belong to the history of the 
United States, this is not the place to describe them ; 
and I shall only speak of one more of the early voy- 
ages, that of Verrazzano, or Verrazzani, an Italian in 
French employ. 

This voyage is important, because Verrazzano has left 
us the earliest full description of the North American 
coast. He sailed from France, by way of Madeira, in 
1524, leaving that island with a single vessel, and 
spending fifty days before seeing land. At last he 
reached the shore of North Carolina, and followed it 
southward for a time; then sailed northward, carefully 
examining the coast. He put into what is now the har- 
bor of New York, and afterwards into what is now the 
harbor of Newport, R.I. There he staid a fortnight, 
trading with the Indians ; and he mentions that he 
found vines and grapes there, just as the Northmen 
described them in Vinland, long before. Then he 
sailed along the New-England coast to Nova Scotia, 
still trading with the Indians on the way. His narra- 
tive, as translated in an old collection of voyages, 
describes the savages as " coming to the seashore upon 
certain craggy rocks ; and we standing in our boats, 
they let down with a rope what it pleased them to give 
us, crying continually that we should not approache to 
the land, demanding immediately the exchange, taking 
nothing but knives, fish-hookes, and tooles to cut 
withal ; neither did they make any account of our cour- 
tesie." 

Think how strange it would be, if we were to sail 
along the Atlantic coast, and not meet so much as a 



THE SUCCESSORS OF COLUMBUS. 45 

fishing-vessel ! It would be strange never to see a 
lighthouse, a buoy, or a wharf ; and to enter New-York 
harbor, and see only a few wooded hills and uninhabited 
islands, but no sign of human life, except, perhaps, a 
half-naked Indian standing on the shore. Yet this is 
what Verrazzano did, He carried home full accounts 
of what he saw. He thought that the savages were " like 
the people in the uttermost parts of China," and that 
" these new countries were not altogether destitute of 
the drugs and spicery, pearls and gold," for which every- 
body was so eager. King Francis I. was quite de- 
lighted. He said that he " did not think God had 
created those new countries for the Castilians alone : " 
but it is not certain whether he sent out a second expe- 
dition ; or whether Verrazzano made any more voyages, 
or what became of him. 



CHAPTER VII. 

HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND SETTLED. 

THESE were some of the first voyages to America, 
made by Columbus, the Cabots, Ponce de Leon, 
and Verrazzano. But, after the continent was fairly 
discovered, the next question was, Who should explore 
it, and claim it, and settle it.'' 

It has always seemed to me that the first explorers 
of North America were very much like a family of boys 
who have discovered a large pond in the woods, some- 
where within reach of their dwelling-house. The boys 
wish to be always on the water, and are constantly ex- 
ploring. They have different objects : some go merely 
for the fun of it ; others, to catch fish ; others, to look 
for black-birds' nests among the reeds ; others, to find 
a shorter route to the village or to the schoolhouse. 
What wonderful stories they tell their little sisters about 
the things they have seen by the side of the lake ! By 
degrees they know the whole shore very well, and can 
find their way anywhere. Yet if they were to sit down 
at night to draw the outline of that shore from memory, 

— with all the ins and outs, all the bays and the islands, 

— no two would draw it alike ; and the different maps 
would look very strangely side by side. 

Now, this is precisely the way it was with those who 
46 



HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND SETTLED. 47 

first came to the shores of the North-American Con- 
tinent. Everybody wished to see the new country. 
Everybody who came saw something wonderful ; and 
each described even more wonders than lie had seen. 
The returning sailors told of giants and Amazons, of 
countries where the sands sparkled with gems, and 
of rivers in which were found golden pebbles as 
large as hens' eggs. So there was immediately the 
greatest eagerness to undertake voyages to these new 
lands. Some large towns in Spain lost half their inhab- 
itants, so many people went on these expeditions. The 
Spaniards generally went for gold ; the Portuguese, for 
slaves ; and the French and English, for the sake of 
fishing. Many people still believed that this new 
country was India, of which they had known something 
before. But the more learned people — the geographers, 
and those who made the maps — now thought that these 
new lands were not a part of India, but were a series 
of islands, called " Cuba," " Florida," " America," and 
so on ; and they expected to find among these islands 
a passage that would lead to China and Japan. It 
may be seen by this map, made thirty-eight years after 
the first voyage of Columbus, just how these wise men 
supposed these islands to lie ; and it will be seen that 
India and China (Cathay) and Japan (Cipango) are 
placed just behind them, as if easily to be reached. 

When there was so much curiosity about exploring 
the New World, we should suppose that they would 
have soon learned its outline thoroughly. But they 
were just like the boys by the lake. There was not a 
harbor along the Atlantic shore, from Labrador to 
Terra del Fuego, that had not been entered before this 




COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, FROM MAPS MADE BETWEEN 1534 AND 1560. 



HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND SETTLED. 49 

mip was made. But no one captain had visited all 
the harbors. Nobody knew about the interior of the 
country, or its general form ; and so no two explorers 
agreed about the actual shape of the coast. When 
they came to draw its outline, we can see what work 
they made, if we look at this series of sketches, taken 



K^o^H 'o'L^ 









SM'< 






A 



/ 






!fenfn/i 






o R B I S-^'f^ 'T^'v'^i-; (' 




_iL 



FROM MAP OF I530. 

from old maps made between 1534 and 1560. The 
River St. Lawrence seemed to puzzle them particu- 
larly: sometimes they made it run south, and some- 
times east ; and, as for Cape Cod, it appears in all 
manner of shapes. 

But even after Europeans had begun to understand 
how large the new region was, and after they had 
improved in map-drawing, there came the still more 
puzzling question. To whom was it all to belong ? 

Here, again, these great nations were very much like 
4 



50 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

boys who have explored the shores of a lake, and who 
play at taking possession of its different islands and 
capes. Perhaps a boy has claimed a part of the shore 
for his own, and has given his name to it ; perhaps he has 
cut his name on a tree as a sign of ownership : but, as 
soon as he is gone, another boy may come and seize it, 
and give it another name. There is no way to keep it, 
except to stay and guard it ; and this is what few will 
take the trouble to do. Just so it was with these 
nations. The Spaniards wished to own all they had 
explored ] so did the French ; so did the English : 
but nobody liked very well to stay there and keep pos- 
session. Each claimed a certain portion by right of 
discovery : the trouble was to occupy what they claimed. 
But at last the Spaniards made some permanent set- 
tlements in Mexico, and one at St. Augustine, Fla. 
There is the quaint old town to this very day, with some 
of the fortifications they built. It was founded in 1565, 
and is the oldest town in the United States. Then 
the French settled Nova Scotia (in 1605) ; but it looked 
very much as if there would never be any English set- 
tlements in North America. 

We must remember, that, in those days, the name 
"North America" had been scarcely heard. As you will 
see on the map of the new discoveries, the name of 
" America " was given first to South America, which 
Americus Vespucius had visited and described, and 
which was supposed to be an island. But North Amer- 
ica was usually called " Florida " by the Spaniards ; 
while the French called it " Francesca," or " Canada," 
or " New France." After a while, it came to be gener- 
ally understood between these two nations, that, some- 



HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND SETTLED. 5 1 

how or Other, they owned it all between them. In the 
National Library at Paris, I saw an old French globe, 
made about three hundred years ago, and one of the 
largest globes ever made. On this globe the northern 
part of the Atlantic shore is called, in great capital 
letters, " Canada, or New France " (" La Nouvelle 
France") ; and all the southern part is called "Florida." 
The name "North America" does not appear at all. 
The New York Historical Society owns a smaller globe, 
with much the same divisions : this was made in Spain, 
in 1542. That was the view the French and Spaniards 
took of the subject in those days. They did not dream 
that the time was coming when neither France nor Spain 
would own a foot of land in North America. 

But the English had never forgotten, all this time, 
that John and Sebastian Cabot, with English ships, had 
first reached the mainland of North America. So Sir 
Walter Raleigh and other gallant men made several 
unsuccessful attempts to found colonies. They were 
determined to take possession of that great region j 

between Canada and Florida ; and they named it "Vir- 
ginia," after their queen, Elizabeth, who liked to be 
called " the Vu'gin Queen." But it was very hard to 
make the colonists stay there in the wild forests and 
among the Lidians ; and so colony after colony failed. [ 

One was attempted, for instance, on an island now 
called " Cuttyhunk," in Buzzard's Bay, Mass. The 
leader was Bartholomew Gosnold ; but he only staid 
a few months, and then went back to England with ji 

a cargo of sassafras-root, which was sold for a high ' 

price. x\nother famous colony was not so fortunate, — 
that founded on Roanoke Island in Virginia. The 



52 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

first child of English parents on American soil was born 
there, and was named "Virginia Dare." She was grand- 
child of the governor of the settlement. He went to 
England without his family, and was gone several years ; 
and, when he came back, the whole colony had disap- 
peared ; and no one has ever discovered what became 
of little Virginia and her companions. 

Thus colony after colony proved unsuccessful ; and, 
for a long time, the most important results of the new 
discoveries, so far as England was concerned, appeared 
to be the introduction of potatoes and tobacco. They 
are both said to have been carried there by Sir Walter 
Raleigh ; and it is said that when, after one of his 
voyages, he sat smoking in his room in England, some 
one threw a pail of water over him, supposing him to be 
on fire. 

Finally, in April, 1606, King James I. granted a 
charter to two companies formed in England. This 
charter gave them the whole continent of North Amer- 
ica, from the thirty-fourth to the forty-fifth parallel of 
latitude. That left the French undisturbed at the north, 
and the Spaniards at the south ; and yet it included all 
the present States along the Atlantic, north of South 
Carolina, except a part of Maine. As was said before, 
all this territory was called " Virginia " by the English. 
The books of that day said, "Virginia is that country 
of the earth which the ancients called Morosa, between 
Florida and New France." 

Moreover, the king decided that this territory should 
be further divided into two parts. The London Com- 
pany must take the southern half, and the Plymouth 
Company the northern half ; and their nearest settle- 



HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND SETTLED. 



53 



ments must be a hundred miles apart, so that there 
should be no quarrelling. 

Then the two companies sent out their colonies about 
the same time. The southern colony reached James- 
town, Va., in April, 1607 ; and the northern colony ar- 
rived at the mouth of the Kennebec River in August 
of the same year. The southern colonists remained, 
and founded what is now the State of Virginia ; but 




ENGLISH SHIP OF THE SlX'lIiKNTH LENTUR^ . 



the Maine colonists gave up their enterprise very soon. 
Most of them went back to England in the autumn ; 
but a portion staid till spring, building a storehouse, 
with a fort, which was called "Fort St. George." But 
they suffered great hardships ; and in the spring their 
leader, George Popham, died, and all the survivors 
returned home. If they had remained, Maine would 
have been permanently settled almost as early as Vir- 
ginia. The colonists under Popham did some good by 



54 YOUNG folks' united states. 

helping to establish the English title to the country ; 
but they did harm by telling everybody, after their 
return, that New England was too cold to be inhabited. 
This so discouraged the people who had thought of 
emigrating, that it was more than twelve years before 
another colony came to New England. Thus Virginia 
was the oldest of the English colonies ; but I shall tell 
their story in geographical order, beginning with the 
New England States, because this arrangement will be 
easier to remember, and less confusing, than to regard 
only the order of time. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONIES. 
THE PLYMOUTH COLONY. 

MORE than two centuries and a half ago, there 
was a time of great religious persecution in 
England. People had not then learned to leave each 
other free to worship, or to abstain from worship, in 
their own way. If a man did not attend the services 
of the Established Church of England, he was liable to 
be severely punished ; and, if he attended any other 
religious service, it might lead to exile or death. So 
a great many of the persecuted people went to live 
in Holland, where there was more religious freedom. 
There they dwelt in peace, and won the respect of all. 
The Dutch magistrates said, " These English have 
lived among us now these twelve years, and yet we 
never had any suit or accusation against any of them." 
But, when children began to grow up around them, 
these exiles thought that they would rather teach their 
boys and girls the English language, and give them an 
English education. Besides, war between the Dutch 
and Spaniards was just beginning again, after ten 
years of peace ; and this caused the English emigrants 
much anxiety. They had to work very hard, too, and 

55 



56 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

began to wish that they could be laboring to found a 
settlement of their own, where they could feel at home. 
Above all, they wished to do something, as they said, 
" for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the 
kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world." 
So they decided to leave Holland for the unexplored 
continent of America, where there was as yet no 
English settlement but in Virginia. Even before they 
had resolved on this, they had been called familiarly 
by the name of " Pilgrims ; " because they were wander- 
ing from place to place on the way " to heaven, their 
dearest country," as they said. 

So, out of a thousand English Pilgrims in Holland, 
about a hundred were selected to go to America, — 
" such of the youngest and strongest as freely offered 
themselves." They bought two small vessels, the 
" Speedwell," of sixty tons, and the " Mayflower," of 
one hundred and eighty tons ; this being thought a 
large size for a vessel in those days. In July, 1620, 
they sailed from Delft-Haven. They had solemn re- 
ligious services before sailing ; and their old minister, 
John Robinson, said in his address to them, " I charge 
you, before God and his blessed angels, that you follow 
me no further than you have seen me follow the Lord 
Jesus Christ. The Lord has more truth yet to break 
out of his holy word." Then they were feasted at the 
pastor's house ; and one of them wrote, " We refreshed 
ourselves, after tears, with singing of psalms, making 
joyful melody in our hearts, as well as with the voice ; 
there being many of the congregation very expert in 
music; and indeed it was the sweetest melody that 
mine ears ever heard." 



THE PLYMOUTH COLONY. 



57 



" After this," he adds, " they accompanied us to Delft- 
Haven, to the ship, but were not able to speak one to 
another, for the abundance of sorrow to part. But we 
only, going aboard, gave them a volley of small-shot, 
and three pieces of ordnance ; and so, lifting up our 
hands to each other, and our hearts for each other and 
the Lord our God, we departed." 




THE " MAYFLOWER." 

Thus the Pilgrims set sail without aid from govern- 
ment, and without any royal charter, for the New 
World. After touching at three English ports, they still 
had a long passage of sixty-three days. The " Speed- 
well " proved unseaworthy, and put back ; while the 
" Mayflower " went on alone. Instead of reaching the 
Hudson River, where they had meant to go, they were 
driven by storms to the Massachusetts shore. For a 



58 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

month they sailed up and down, looking for a favorable 
harbor along the coast. It was a barren region ; but it 
seemed pleasant to them aftSr the sea. They saw pines, 
junipers, sassafras, " and other sweet woods," growing 
on the shore. They found, their narrative says, " the 
greatest store of fowl that ever we saw." They saw 
whales ; and, when they fired at one, the gun exploded, 
when " the whale gave a snuff, and away." When 
they first went ashore, sixteen men landed, " with 
every man his musket, sword, and corselet," headed 
by Capt. Miles Standish. They saw " five or six peo- 
ple, with a dogge, who were savages." These all ran 
away, and " whistled the dogge after them." At 
last, in a valley, the Pilgrims saw a deer, and found 
springs of fresh water ; " of which we were heartily 
glad," the narrative says, " and set us downe, and 
drunke our first New England water with as much de- 
light as ever we drunke drink in all our lives." Then 
they found a grave, with mats and bowls, and the skele- 
ton of a man and that of a little child buried together. 
Perhaps it was pleasant to them to see that parents and 
children loved each other, even among wild Indians. 
Then they found a great basket of Indian corn, buried 
in the ground. This they took, and afterwards, find- 
ing the owners, paid for it. They killed three fat geese 
and six ducks, which they ate "with soldier stom-' 
achs," their story says. 

At last they came into a harbor to which an earlier i 

explorer, Capt. John Smith, had given the name of 
" Plymouth." They fixed on this as a good place for 
their settlement ; and on the 21st of December, 1620, 
they landed. A young girl named Mary Chilton is said 



THE PLYMOUTH COLONY. 



59 



to have been the very first to step on Plymouth Rock. 
But, before hmding, they had held a meeting in the 
cabin of the " Mayflower," and agreed that every man 
in the colony should have an equal share in the govern- 
ment. They chose John Carver for their first governor ; 
and they also formed a military company, with Capt. 
Miles Standish to command it. The soldiers had 
each a coat of mail, and a sword, and a match-lock mus- 
ket ; and we shall see hereafter how well they defended 
the colony. 

Then they brought on shore all their possessions, such 
as we may see at this day preserved as relics in Pil- 
grim Hall, at Plymouth, — arm-chairs and spinning- 
wheels, and Miles Stand- 
ish's great iron dinner- 
kettle, and little Lora 
Standish's sampler, and the 
cradle of Peregrine White, 
the baby Vvho was born on 
board the " Mayflower," 
and who was named " Pere- 




PEREGRINE WHITE S CRADLE. 



grine " from the peregrinations of the Pilgrims. 

Landing in early winter on that cold, bleak shore, 
they began at once to build houses. There were one 
hundred and two persons to be provided with shelter. 
First they built a common house as a temporary abode 
for all ; then they divided themselves into nineteen 
families ; and by degrees a house was built for each. 
These houses were of logs and mortar, with thatched 
roofs, and with windows of oiled paper. The rooms 
were so crowded, that they were " as full of beds as 
they could lie, one by another." Then they built a 



6o YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

great shed for the public goods, and a small hospital 
for the sick, and a church, which had four cannon 
planted on the top for defence. Here they could have 
their religious services in safety, with good Elder 
Brewster for their minister. As for food, they lived by 
hunting and fishing, till they could raise corn. Some- 
times they killed deer and wild turkeys. They caught 
shad and cod • took lobsters and shell-fish. The Indi- 
ans taught them to shoot fish with arrows, and to tread 
eels out of the mud with their feet. Once they tried to 
eat an eagle, and thought it tasted " very much like a 
sheep." For several years they had no cattle, and 
could scarcely have kept any, because of the lions, as 
they called the wolves, which came close to the town. 
Often they suffered for want of food ; often " they 
knew not at night where to ha\'^ a bit in the morning." 
" I have seen men," says one of their number, " stagger 
by reason of faintness for want of food." What with 
hardship and exposure, just one-half of their number 
died during the first winter, including their first govern- 
or ; and they planted corn-fields to conceal the graves, 
so that the Indians might not know how weak they were 
growing. Yet in the spring, when the " Mayflower " 
returned to England, not one of these brave colonists 
went back. Women with sick children preferred to 
stay in this comfortless country rather than live in 
comfort at home. 

THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONY. 

While the Pilgrims were thus establishing themselves 
at Plymouth, there were some temporary English settle- 



THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONY. 6 1 

ments made at other places along the coast. But the 
principal colony was yet to be founded. On the 29th 
of June, 1629, there came sailing into what is now 
Salem harbor five vessels, one of these being the self- 
same " Mayflower " that had first brought the Pilgrims. 
They had been six weeks and three days at sea ; and 
the passengers called the voyage " short and speedy." 
It had been a prosperous voyage ; and the only person 
who described it says, " Our passage was both pleas- 
urable and profitable ; for we received instruction and 
delight in beholding the wonders of the Lord in the 
deep waters, and sometimes seeing the sea round us 
appearing with a terrible countenance, and, as it were, 
full of high hills and deep valleys ; and sometimes it 
appeared as a most plain and even meadow." Then, 
when they came along the coast, the same writer says, 
" By noon we were within three leagues of Cape Ann ; 
and, as we sailed along the coast, we saw every hill 
and dale, and every island, full of gay woods and high 
trees. The nearer we came to the shore, the more 
flowers in abundance ; sometimes scattered abroad, 
sometimes joined in sheets nine or ten yards long, 
which we supposed to be brought from the low mead- 
ows by the tide. Now, what with pine-woods and green 
trees by land, and these yellow flowers painting the sea, 
made us all desirous to see our new paradise of New 
England, whence we saw such forerunning signals of 
fertility afar off." How unlike the first approach of the 
Pilgrims to Cape Cod in the frosty autumn weather! 

This new colony was called the Massachusetts Bay 
Colony. Johi^ Endicott had preceded it, with a few 
men, the year before, and had been appointed governor 



62 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

of the colony. He left no account of his voyage. 
Those who came in the five ships whose arrival I have 
just described were Rev. Francis Higginson and two 
hundred more. They came in 1629. Then, the next 
year, Gov. John Winthrop came with eight hundred. 
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was large, strong, and 
rich, compared with that at Plymouth. It included 
many highly-educated men and some rich men. They 
had powerful friends in England ; and they had a char- 
ter from the king, securing to them the right to govern 
themselves, so long as they did nothing contrary to the 
laws of England. They founded the town of Salem, 
which they called by that name, because in Hebrew it 
signified "Peace." Afterwards they settled Boston, — 




TRIMOUNTAIN. 



at first called Trimountain, from its three hills, — and 
also Roxbury, Dorchester, Charlestown, Watertown, and 
other places. 

These colonists were not " Pilgrims " from Holland, 
or " Separatists," as the Plymouth colonists were some- 
times called ; but they were " Puritans," or religious 
reformers, who came from England, hoping to find 
more freedom for themselves in America. They had 
been persecuted for their opinions at home, though not 
so severely as the Pilgrims ; and the Puritans at first 



THE MASSACHUSETTS COLONY. 63 

thought that the Pilgrims did not feel kindly enough 
toward the mother-country. It is reported that Francis 
Higginson said, as his ship sailed away from the Eng- 
lish shores, — 

" We will not say, as the Separatists were wont to 
say at their leaving England, ' Farewell, Rome ! Fare- 
well, Babylon ! ' But we will say, ' Farewell, the Church 
of God in England, and all the Christian friends 
there ! ' " However, when they got to America, there 
was not much difference between the Pilgrims at Plym- 
outh, and the Puritans at Salem. At least, both colo- 
nies soon grew quite independent of the ways and 
authority of the Church of England. 

But, for all their larger numbers and greater wealth, 
the Massachusetts colonists suffered almost as much 
hardship as the Plymouth settlers had undergone. They 
had, to be sure, from the beginning, horses and cattle 
and tools. But one of the early colonists wrote, " Bread 
was so very scarce, that sometimes I thought the very 
crumbs of my father's table would be sweet unto me. 
And, when I could have meal and water and salt boiled 
together, it was so good, who could wish better ? . . . 
The Indians did sometimes bring corn, and truck with 
us for clothing and knives ; and once I had a peck of 
corn, or thereabouts, for a little puppy-dog. Frost-fish, 
mussels, and clams were a relief unto many." Another 
writer describes how the women in the seaside settle- 
ments used to go down to the beach every day, at low 
tide, and dig for shell-fish. " It would have been a 
strange thing," says another, " to see a piece of roast 
beef or mutton or veal." One day, just as Governor 
Winthrop was giving away the last handful of meal he 



6/\. YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

possessed to a poor man, they saw a ship from Eng- 
land, with provisions, just entering the harbor. 

A good many died of hardship and fatigue during 
the first year or two ; but, after that, they grew quite 
healthy. They found the climate bracing ; and one 
said, that " a sup of New England's air was better than 
a whole draught of Old England's ale." Even in their 
worst times, very few went back to England ; and, not- 
withstanding their poverty, there was not an instance 
of theft among them for four years. Governor Win- 
throp wrote to his wife, " We here enjoy God and Jesus 
Christ ; and is not that enough ? I thank God I like so 
well to be here as [that] I do not repent my coming. 
I would not have altered my course, though I had fore- 
seen all these afflictions. I had never more content -of 
mind." 

These two colonies, Plymouth and Massachusetts 
Bay, were for many years independent of one another ; 
but the Plymouth Colony, though the older of the two, 
grew far more slowly than the other, and was at last 
united with it, in 1692, under the name of Massachu- 
setts ; the name being taken from one of the tribes of 
Indians inhabiting the soil. The meaning of the word 
is said to be " Blue Hills." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE OTHER NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 

THE two colonies, afterwards united under the 
name of Massachusetts, have been described 
before the other New England colonies. This is be- 
cause Massachusetts, being first settled, was in a man- 
ner the parent of these later colonies. Let us take up 
the rest in the ordinary geographical order. 

Maine was not for many years considered as a sepa- 
rate colony ; and yet it was one of the first parts of 
the country to be visited and explored by Europeans. 
It was visited by the navigator Gosnold in 1602 ; and 
an English colony tried to establish itself there in 1607, 
as has already been told ; and a French colony came 
soon after. But the English settlers went home ; and 
the Frenchmen were driven away by the Virginia set- 
tlers, who did not wish to have them so near, and sent 
an expedition against them. Capt. John Smith ex- 
plored the coast of Maine, and wrote a description of 
it ; and an Englishman, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had a 
patent from the king, Charles I., for a part of it; and it 
was named Maine by him, probably in honor of Queen 
Henrietta Maria, who is said to have owned a French 
province of that name ; though this is doubtful. Then 
the Massachusetts Colony claimed the whole ; and so 
5 ''5 



66 YOUNG folks' united states, 

there was a good deal of confusion about the owner- 
ship of that region. But Maine was, after all, reck- 
oned a part of Massachusetts during almost all the 
colonial period, and for many years after. 

The first settlements grew gradually out of fishing- 
stations ; and it is hard to say when the earliest perma- 
nent town settlements were founded ; be''ore 1630, at 
any rate. People sought Maine for hunting and fish- 
ing, rather than for farming : so the villages grew 
slowly, and they suffered greatly in the Indian wars. 
The laws were milder in that part of New England 
than in Massachusetts and Connecticut. There was 
much religious freedom, and no persecution for opinion's 
sake ; so that persecuted people often took refuge in 
Maine. But, on the other hand, the nearness to Cana- 
da was a disadvantage ; because the French and Indi- 
ans were for many years the great source of terror to 
the English colonists. So these settlements had much 
to keep them back ; and Maine was not counted as a 
separate colony among those that finally combined to 
form the United States. 

New Hampshire was also visited very early, in 
1614, by an explorer named Martin Bring; and Ports- 
mouth and Dover were settled in 1623. Portsmouth 
was first called Strawberry Bank. The settlements 
made there were chiefly for fishing ; and it is said, that 
when a travelling preacher went among the people, ten 
years later, and told them that they must be religious, 
for that was their main end in coming thither, they re- 
plied, " Sir, you are mistaken. You think you are 
speaking to the people of Massachusetts Bay. Our 



THE OTHER NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 67 

main end was to catch fish." The colony grew very 
slowly ; and, thirty years after the settlement of Ports- 
mouth, that town contained only fifty or sixty fami- 
lies. New Hampshire was several times connected 
with Massachusetts in government, and at one time 
with New York ; but, after 17 41, it was a separate prov- 
ince, under a royal governor, who lived in much style 
and elegance at Portsmouth. There are still to be 
seen in that part of the State the fine dwellings of 
colonial days. 

Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire 
claimed that the lands of that colony extended through 
what is now Vermont ; and as his Excellency asserted 
the right to give away townships west of the Connecti- 
cut River, and to reserve for himself five hundred 
acres in every township, it is plain that it was a profita- 
ble thing to be a colonial governor in New Hamp- 
shire. Then the more northern townships were grad- 
ually filled up by immigrants from Scotland arnd Ire- 
land ; and, by the time of the American Revolution, 
New Hampshire was a strong and independent colony. 
It took its name from the English county of Hamp- 
shire, whence some of the early settlers came. 

Vermont was first explored in 1609, by Champlain, a 
French officer, after whom Lake Champlain was named. 
It had, however, no European settlers for more than a 
century after that ; and, down to the time of the Amer- 
ican Revolution, it was not recognized as a separate 
colony, but was known as the " New Hampshire 
Grants," on account of the townships that Governor 
Wentworth had granted. But the governor of New 



68 YOUNG folks' united states. 

York also claimed to control these same " grants ; " 
and Ethan Allen and the other " Green Mountain 
Boys," as they were called, refused to submit to New 
York, and wished to be independent of the other colo- 
nies. It was, however, long before they succeeded in 
this ; and the history of their efforts must therefore be 
postponed for a good many pages. The name "Ver- 
mont " means simply " Green Mountain." 

Rhode Island was founded quite differently from 
any of the other New England settlements ; for it was 
established mainly by those who had fled from reli- 
gious persecution in another colony. The founders of 
Massachusetts came to America to secure freedom for 
the exercise of their own religious opinions ; but they 
did this because they thought those opinions were, 
right, not because they believed in the general princi- 
ple of toleration. The idea of liberty in matters of 
religion was not very common in those days ; and the 
very men who were most conscientious in maintaining 
their own views of things were often the most zealous 
in putting down all those who differed from them. 
But one young minister came out to America who be- 
lieved in religious freedom, not only for his own opin- 
ions, but for those of all others. His name was Roger 
Williams. He said that the magistrates of a country 
should behave like the captain of a ship, who lets his 
passengers have any kind of religious meeting they 
please on board, so long as they keep the peace, and 
do not quarrel. He thought that the law ought to be 
used to keep people from crime, but that it had nothing 
to do with their religious belief. He did not approve 



THE OTHER NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 69 

of obliging people to attend church, unless they wished 
to do it. He did not think it right to choose the 
magistrates from the church-members only, or to make 
people pay to support the church, unless they wished. 
He was not always moderate or judicious in his way of 
expressing these opinions : but most people would now 
admit that his views on toleration were right and wise. 
He, however, held also some peculiar opinions as to the 
authority of civil magistrates in any case ; and those 
views gave to the Puritans some just ground of com- 
plaint. 

At last he talked so boldly against the established 
laws, that the Massachusetts magistrates decided to 
send him back to England. He heard of this intention, 
and fied, in mid-winter, from his home in Salem, and 
wandered in the wilderness for fourteen weeks, "sorely 
tost in a bitter season, not knowing what bread or bed 
did mean." This was in January, 1636. First he set- 
tled at Seekonk, within the Plymouth Colony ; but, being 
advised by Governor Winthrop to " steer his course " 
to the Narragansett Bay, he crossed, with five compan- 
. ions, in an Indian canoe. The first place where he landed 
he called " Providence ; " thus acknowledging his grati- 
tude to God. There were then no white settlers in that 
region ; and Canonicus, chief of the Narragansetts, 
gave Roger Williams a large tract of country. But he 
kept nothing for himself : " he gave away his lands and 
other estate to them that he thought most in want, 
until he gave away all." " I desired it might be a 
shelter for persons distressed for conscience," he said. 
Many such persons came to him, and settled in differ- 
ent parts of the colony he founded. Among these 



yo YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

were Anne Hutchinson, a famous woman-preacher of 
those clays, whom the Massachusetts magistrates had 
exiled ; and Samuel Gorton, another independent re- 
ligious teacher. Another was William Coddington, who 
bought the island of Rhode Island, then called Aquid- 
neck, from the Indians. Indeed, so many people of 
various opinions went there, that it used to be said, 
that any man who had lost his religion would be sure 
to find it again at some village in Rhode Island. 

The new colony finally obtained a charter under the 
name of "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations;" 
the first part of the name being given from a sup- 
posed resemblance of that island to the Island of 
Rhodes. The laws of the colony were based on the 
plan of perfect religious toleration. Roger Williams 
maintained that " a permission of the most Paganish, 
Jewish, Turkish, or anti-Christian consciences," should 
be granted " to all men of all nations and countries," 
and that " Papists, Protestants, Jews, or Turks " should 
be protected in their worship ; and the General Assem- 
bly in 1647 passed a law to the same purpose. That 
was an amount of liberty not then equalled under any 
Christian government, not even in the Maryland colony, 
which was the most liberal in America. And, in 
general, the inhabitants of Rhode Island were so 
fearful of establishing any tyranny, that, when Roger 
Williams had refused the office of governor, the colony 
went on without one for forty years. After a time the 
character and habits of the people became more like 
those of the other New^ England colonies ; but the 
others always felt some jealousy of Rhode Island, and 
it was not admitted into the alliances made by the 



THE OTHER NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 71 

rest. Yet Rhode Island took an active part in the 
wars of the colonies against the French, and was 
ready to join witli the others in raising troops when 
the time of the American Revolution came. 

The coast of Connecticut was first explored by one 
of the early Dutch navigators, Adrian Block, who was 
the first European to sail through Hurlgate. This was 
in 1614; and the island called Block Island still bears 
the name of the bold sailor. Other Dutch navigators 
afterwards went up the Connecticut River, and claimed 
its banks, and the whole shore of Long Island Sound, 
as far as Cape Cod. But the river was also claimed by 
an English company ; and an exploring party from Plym- 
outh chose a site for a trading-house on the bank, in 
answer to an invitation from an Indian chief named 
Seguin. Then the Dutch bought of another chief, Sas- 
sacus, the land where Hartford now stands, and built 
there a trading-house and fort, called the "House of 
Good Hope." They forbade any English from ascend- 
ing the river, and threatened to fire on the party from 
Plymouth when they came in sight ; but the Plymouth 
men sailed on up the stream, and built their trading- 
house at Windsor. This was in 1633 ; and for many years 
after there was a rivalry between the Dutch and the 
English in settling the Connecticut valley. The Dutch 
of New Amsterdam were nearer to the spot ; but the 
English were more numerous and more enterprising ; 
and they soon began to come by land as well as by water. 
Some whole churches formed colonies, and came through 
the unbroken forest to Hartford and Windsor and Weth- 
ersfield. It was an untried way for white men ; but the 



72 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

Indians had told them of the beautiful river, and had 
said that its banks were more fertile than the rugged 
soil of the Massachusetts shore. The first party of set- 
tlers, in 1635, suffered greatly in their first winter; and 
some of them waded back through the snows before 
spring. But in the spring a much larger party went 
westward, under guidance of a celebrated minister, 
Thomas Hooker. They drove their cattle before them ; 
they had no guide but their compass ; they hardly trav- 
elled ten miles a day through the forests ; and Mrs. 
Hooker, who was an invalid, was borne on a litter: 
but they, too, reached the river at last. In 1639 the 
first constitution for the Connecticut Colony was made, 
permitting all men to vote who had taken the oath of 
allegiance to the commonwealth. The name of the 
colony was taken from that of the river ; and it is said 
to mean " Long River." While this colony was being 
established, another large party came from England, in 
1638, and founded a second settlement on the river, at 
what they called New Haven. This colony had for a 
long time no laws but the Bible, and allowed none but 
church-members to vote. In this respect it was like 
the Massachusetts Colony in early times ; but religious 
controversies were milder in the Connecticut settle- 
ments, and there was ver\' little persecution for opin- 
ion's sake. 

The troubles with the Dutch of New Netherlands 
continued until 1664, when the whole province of New 
Netherlands itself passed into the hands of the Eng- 
lish, and its name was changed to New York. After 
that time, there was no more trouble from Dutch neigh- 
bors. The New Haven Colony was, during the next 



THE OTHER NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 73 

year, united with the Connecticut Colony ; and they 
both went on prospering, being only visited by such 
troubles as attacked all the New England colonies 
together. These troubles must be told in a separate 
chapter. We shall there see how the people of New 
England lived, down to the time of the American Rev- 
olution, which combined all the scattered colonies into 
one nation. 



CHAPTER X. 

COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 

WE must remember, that although the New Eng- 
land colonies had jealousies and differences, 
yet they were in many respects alike. They were com- 
posed almost wholly of Englishmen and Protestants ; 
and most of their pioneers had come from motives of 
conscience, as well as for their worldly advantage. 
Their leaders were men of strict morality, and they 
aimed to have no others among them. In the very 
first year of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Governor 
Endicott broke up a settlement at " Merry Mount," 
composed of people who led gayer and idler lives than 
he approved ; and this same John Endicott cut the 
red cross out of the English flag, because he thought it 
meant superstition. The other New England colonies 
were not so stern in their discipline as was Massachu- 
setts ; but the habits of that age would seem very 
peculiar to us and they had their influence even in 
the more liberal colonies, such as Rhode Island. 

If we could carry ourselves back to those days, and 
were to approach a New England village about nine 
o'clock on Sunday morning, we should hear some one 
beating a drum, or sounding a horn, or blowing a 
conch-shell, or possibly ringing a bell, to call people 

74 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



75 



to worship. As we came nearer still, we should see 
a flag waving from a little log-built church, or " meet- 
ing-house." Entering the village, we should see a 
strong fence of stakes around this meeting-house, and 
a sentinel in armor standing near it ; and we should see 
some of the men, as they went in, leaving their muskets 
under his care. We should, perhaps, see a cannon or 
two planted near the meeting-house ; and we should 
also see some strange 
wooden frames not far 
off, these being the stocks 
and the pillory, put there 
to punish offenders. 
Looking at this church 
itself, we should see that 
it had very few glass win- 
dows, and that these had 
very small and t li i c k 
panes, diamond - shaped, 
and set in leaden frames. 
We should observe that 
the other windows had 
oiled paper, instead of 
glass ; and we should see 
between the windows the heads of wolves that had been 
killed and displayed there during the past year. 

If we were to look inside the little church, we should 
not see families sitting together, as now ; but they would 
be distributed according to age, or sex, or rank. In 
those days the old men sat together in one place in 
church, the young men in another, the young women in 
another. The boys all sat on the pulpit-stairs and gal- 




EARLY NEW ENGLAND CHURCH. 



76 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

lery, with constables to guard them. Each of these con- 
stables had a wand, with a hare's foot on one end, and 
a hare's tail on the other. These were to keep people 
awake. If any woman went to sleep, the constable 
touched her on the forehead with the hare's tail ; but, 
if a small boy nodded, he was rapped with the other 
end, not quite so gently. No doubt the wand was often 
used ; for the services were sometimes three or four 
hours long, the sexton turning the hour-glass before 
the minister at the end of every hour. The only 
music consisted of singing by the congregation, from 
a metrical version of the Psalms, called " The Bay 
Psalm Book." The whole number of tunes known to 
the people did not exceed ten ; and few congregations 
could go beyond five. This was the Puritan form of 
religious service. And people were not allowed to 
stay at home from it ; for men called tithing-men were 
sent about the town to look for those who were absent. 
Men were fined for every unnecessary absence ; and, if 
they staid away a month together, they might be put in 
the stocks, or into a wooden cage. 

Looking round at the houses of the Puritan village, 
we should see that the older ones were made of earth 
or logs, one story high, with very steep roofs, covered 
with thatch. Entering any of these, we should find 
the fireplaces made of rough stones, and the chimneys 
either of boards, or of short sticks crossing each other, 
and smeared with clay. Here and there we should see 
newer and better houses, made of wood and brick, two 
stories high in front, and one story behind ; or houses 
of stone, like this of which a picture is given, and 
which represents the house of Rev. Mr. Whitfield at 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



77 




MR. Whitfield's house. 



Guilford, Conn., built in 1639, and still standing, proba- 
bly the oldest house 
in the United States 
north of Florida. 
We should observe 
that the w i n d o w s 
were very small, and 
opened on hinges ; 
and we should find 
the fireplaces of these 
houses large enough for burning logs four feet long, 
and for the children to sit in the corners to look up at 
the sky. We should find the houses facing exactly 
south, so that the sun at noon might " shine square " 

into them, and the family 
might know when to have 
dinner. 

If we could see the people 
occupying these houses, we 
should find the men wearing 
jerkins, small-clothes, ruffs 
around their necks, and, 
when in the open air, short 
cloaks and steeple-crowned 
hats, under which the elders 
wore velvet caps. We should 
find the young men, on pub- 
lic occasions, wearing showy 
belts, gold and silver but- 
tons, and great boots rolled 
A PURITAN. over at the top. We should 

find the voung women wearing plain and homespun 




78 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

clothing when about their worlv, but appearing on Sun- 
days in silk hoods, lace neckerchiefs, slashed sleeves 
and embroidered caps. But the law required that they 
should dress according to their means ; and, if they wore 
such things, they must prove that they were rich enough 
to afford it. This was the practice in England in those 
days, and the Puritans brought such laws with them. 
Thus it appears in the records, that one Alice Flynt 
was accused of wearing a silk hood ; but, when she 
proved before court that she was worth two hundred 
pounds in money, the complaint was dropped. Jonas 
Fairbanks, about the same time, was prosecuted for 
wearing " great boots ; " but the evidence was not suffi- 
cient to convict him, and he was happily acquitted. 

If we were to remain in this Puritan village during 
the week, we might see, perhaps, a monthly muster of 
the soldiers ; that is, of all men over the age of six- 
teen. We should perhaps see the officers with swords 
like that sword of Capt. Miles Standish, which is still 
preserved, bearing an unknown Oriental inscription, 
in the Antiquarian Hall at Plymouth. We should see 
some of the soldiers armed with pikes ten feet long, 
and others carrying muskets called "matchlocks," from 
being fired by a slow-match instead of a percussion- 
cap, as now. We should observe that each soldier had 
also a " rest," or iron fork, to be stuck in the ground 
for the support of his heavy weapon ; and we should 
notice that he had girt round him a belt, or "bando- 
lier," holding a sword and a dozen tin cartridge-boxes. 
He would probably wear, also, a steel helmet and an 
iron breastplate ; so that he would need to be a strong 
man to make a long march thus laden. Or perhaps he 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. yg 

would only wear a coat thickly quilted with cotton- 
wool, which would turn the Indian arrows, and would 
be much lighter to wear. Such would be the soldiers. 
Or, if a town-meeting were being held, we should find 
those same men, dressed in civil costume, gravely and 
patiently discussing the affairs of the town, or the 
interests of the church ; most of the voters everywhere 
being church-members also. Or, if a vote were to be 
taken, we should see them doing it by putting in corn 
or beans ; each kernel of corn counting in the affirma- 
tive, and every bean in the negative. 

The laws of the Puritans were, in many ways, more 
severe than was wise, as we should now think. I'hose 
who had done wrong were often publicly whipped, or 
placed in stocks or the pillory ; these being wooden 
frames that held people by the feet or neck, so that 
they could not get away. Or sometimes an offender 
had to stand on a stool in the church, during public 
worship, bearing the name of his crime embroidered 
on his clothes, or written on a paper pinned to his 
breast. A woman who scolded her family might be 
silenced by a cleft stick applied to her tongue, or by 
being ducked in running water. Such punishments 
are not now applied in civilized communities ; but we 
must remember that they were common in that age, and 
that the aim of such laws was to produce a sober and 
virtuous people, fearing, above all things, to do wrong. 

" Let it never be forgotten," said one of the early 
Puritan preachers, " that our New England was origi- 
nally a plantation of religion, and not a plantation of 
trade. And if there be a man among you who counts 
religion as twelve, and the world as thirteen^ let such a 



8o YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

one remember that he hath neither the spirit of a true 
New England man, nor yet of a sincere Christian." 

Unhappily, the people honestly believed at that time 
that it was their duty to control the religious opinions 
of those about them, as well as their moral conduct ; 
and those who differed from the majority in their opin- 
ions often suffered very much. One reason was, that 
the English Government always complained that the 
Puritans were a fanatical and unreasonable kind of 
people, and so the Puritans naturally did not wish to 
be confounded with anybody still more fanatical, or 
to be responsible for any peculiarities but their own. 
Unfortunately, the way they took to remedy the evil 
was much worse than the evil itself. 

Now, the Quakers, or Society of Friends, in those 
days, though in some respects wiser and better than 
those who persecuted them, were yet very hard for the 
Puritans to deal with. The Quakers were honestly 
opposed to many things that the Puritans thought 
necessary to good government. They would not pay 
taxes, or acknowledge the government, or fight in 
war : therefore the Puritans wished them to go away, 
and to found a settlement for themselves in the wil- 
derness, leaving the Puritan settlements in peace. But 
this the Quakers did not choose to do. They thought 
they had as much right in New England as anybody 
else ; and they, moreover, had among them some foolish 
persons, who did very mistaken things, not at all ap- 
proved by the main body of the Society of Friends. 
Some of these excited people would run naked through 
the streets, meaning this as a protest against the vani- 
ties of dress ; sometimes they would come into the 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 8l 

Sunday meetings, dressed in sackcloth, and with ashes 
on their heads. Because of these half-crazy persons, 
the Puritans persecuted even the good and sober 
among the Quakers. These poor people were some- 
times branded with hot irons (H. for "heretic," and 
R. for " rogue " ) : they were whipped publicly through 
the streets, and four of them were hanged on Boston 
Common. All this was very wrong and cruel ; but we 
must remember that such severity was the practice of 
those days in most countries ; and that men had not 
then learned fo tolerate freedom of opinion in one 
another. Indeed, they have not entirely learned it 
even now. 

Then another great source of anxiety among the 
Puritans was what was called the witchcraft excitement. 
All over Europe, two centuries ago, it was firmly 
believed that certain persons were witches, and had 
power to bewitch and injure other people by magic 
arts. Perhaps some old woman, living by herself, 
would be accused of exerting this magic power on men 
or animals, and of causing disease or death. Then 
the poor woman would be accused before a magistrate, 
and would be examined, and perhaps tortured to 
make her confess ; then she would become so fright- 
ened, or excited, as to say that she was really a witch, 
and perhaps to accuse others : and so it spread from 
one to another. In Scotland, about that time, four 
thousand persons suffered death, on charge of witch- 
craft, in ten years' time ; and it is not strange that 
twenty were executed in Massachusetts. Sometimes 
the very persons who were accused would do and say 
such strange things, that it was hard to know what 
6 



82 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

course to take with them. A young girl, for instance, 
would jump up in church, and shout out, " Parson, your 
text is too long!" or, "There's a great yellow bird 
sitting on the parson's hat in the pulpit ; " and, when 
people did such strange things, the magistrates them- 
selves became excited. But, the more severely such 
persons were treated, the more their number increased ; 
so that the persecution of witches made more witch- 
craft ; and some of the Puritans were afterwards very 
much ashamed of what they had done. One brave 
old judge, Samuel Sewall, confessed, in his later years, 
that he had done wrong in yielding to the public 
excitement about witches ; and he used to keep a 
solemn day of fasting and prayer, every year, to atone 
for the sin he had committed. 

Then the Puritan colonies had a great deal of trouble 
about their charters. The charters were the parchments 
given by the British Government, securing to the colo- 
nists the right to make their own laws, and to appoint 
their own magistrates. The colonists knew, that, with- 
out these charters, they would be liable to a great deal 
of injustice ; and that governors and magistrates might 
at any time be sent out from England to govern them 
without their consent. These magistrates might de- 
prive them of their religious freedom, and destroy their 
whole prosperity. Besides, it was a time of civil war in 
England, between Charles I. and the parliament ; and 
the colonists did not wish to have any thing to do with 
the contest. If they sided with either party, the other 
party would be very likely to oppress them whenever it 
came into power : so they tried to keep out of that 
war altogether, and to hold to their charters. Several 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 83 

times the English Government attempted to take away 
the charters ; and at last, in 1686, Sir Edmund Andros 
was sent out for this very purpose, and was authorized 
to act as royal governor for all New England. He 
came with great show and display, glittering in scarlet 
and lace ; and Massachusetts and Rhode Island sub- 
mitted to his authority. Connecticut appeared to do 
the same ; but a brave man, William Wadsworth, took 
the charter, and hid it in a hollow tree. Sir Edmund 
Andros was very angry, and took the book of records 
of the Connecticut Colony, and wrote under it " Finis," 
which means "the end." But in 1688 there was a rev- 
olution in England ; and the people of New England 
soon rebelled against the new governor. The men of 
Boston put Sir Edmund Andros in prison ; the charter 
of Connecticut was brought out from its hiding-place ; 
and the word " Finis " disappeared from the colonial 
records. 

There had been, ever since 1643, ^ league of part of 
the New England Colonies to aid each other against the 
Indians, and for other purposes. It included the two 
Massachusetts Colonies and the two Connecticut Colo- 
nies ; but they would not admit Rhode Island. Maine 
and New Hampshire were not yet independent colo- 
nies ; and Vermont was not settled at all. This league 
lasted more than forty years, though its importance was 
much diminished during the latter part of that time. 
But when Sir Edmund Andros came to Boston as royal 
governor, the league was dissolved ; and even after the 
people had rebelled, and had banished him, three years 
later, it was not restored. Massachusetts and New 
Hampshire were separated into distinct colonies, and 



84 YOUNG folks' united states. 

had royal governors from England, very much against 
their will ; while Connecticut had kept its charter 
through all changes, thanks to William Wadsworth and 
the oak-tree ; and Rhode Island began again to govern 
itself under its old charter, and was not molested. But 
all these contests about charters left a very sore feeling 
behind, and helped to prepare the way for that separa- 
tion from the mother-country which was destined to 
take place. 

But, while this great event was drawing near, the 
people of the New England Colonies all thought that 
they were true and loyal Englishmen ; and they grew in 
numbers and in strength. At first they were all farm- 
ers or hunters or fishermen ; but by degrees they intro- 
duced cotton and woollen manufactures, made glass 
and gunpowder, got lumber and tar from the woods, 
and exported fish cured with salt of their own making. 
The first vessel they built was called " The Blessing of 
the Bay ; " and after a while there were many such bless- 
ings. There was very little coin among them to use for 
business purposes, because they had often to send it to 
England for buying supplies, and it did not return. So 
they had to trade by barter ; and afterwards they used 
wampum for money, and beaver-skins and Indian corn 
and bullets; and finally, in 1652, the Massachusetts 
legislature set up a mint, and coined twelvepenny, six- 
penny, and threepenny pieces of silver. These bore on 
one side the inscription, " Massachusetts," always spelt 
" Masathusets," with a tree in the centre, and " N. E.," 
or " New England," with the date, on the other. These 
are commonly known as " pine-tree " shillings, six- 
pences, and threepences. 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



85 



While the colonists were poor, there was necessarily 
much simplicity of living among them. People of all 
stations made their morning and evening meal of 
boiled corn-meal and milk, or of pork and beans, or 
pork and peas. Tea and coffee were not yet intro- 
duced ; but home-made beer and cider were largely 
employed. Bread was commonly made of " rye and 




EARLY NEW ENGLAND COINS. 



Indian," rather than of flour. There were few amuse- 
ments ; dancing and the theatre were prohibited ; musi- 
cal instruments were rare ; and no one was allowed 
even to possess cards or dice. In their desire to pro- 
mote virtue, the Puritans, no doubt, were too austere in 
their way of living ; yet the standard of morality among 
them was certainly very high. 



86 



YOUN(; FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



With this simplicity of living there was a great deal 
of equality in the early days. Only a few people of 
the highest social position, such as the clergy and the 
magistrates, were called by the titles of Mr. and Mrs. ; 
the common designation being Good7naii and Goodwife. 
Yet there was much deference paid to people of higher 
education or authority, especially to the clergy. The 
standard of education was high in the early colonies ; 
many of the very first emigrants being men educated 
at the English universities. They introduced schools 
without delay, and then colleges. Harvard College 




HAKVAKU CuLLEcJE IN 1 770. 

is almost as old as the colonies themselves, having 
been founded in 1G36 ; and Yale College followed it in 
1700. The first printing-press in the New England col- 
onies was established at Cambridge in 1639; and the 
first newspaper in any of the colonies appeared in 1704, 
and was called "The Boston Newsletter." Booksellers 
prospered very early in Boston ; and many books were 
printed there, most of these being sermons or theologi- 
cal pamphlets. 

As wealth increased in New England, social distinc- 
tions became greater ; and the royal governors, espe- 
cially, brought with them much show and display. In 



COLONIAL DAYS IN NEW ENGLAND. 87 

Boston and Cambridge, in Portsmouth, N.H., and in 
some parts of Rhode Island, there grew up much ele- 
gance of living and magnificent hospitality; and there 
still remain in these places old houses which show the 
splendor that prevailed in colonial days. Slavery ex- 
isted in all the early colonies, but in a veiy mild form ; 
slave-labor being rarely employed in the fields, but only 
in private houses. At its first introduction it had been 
earnestly opposed ; and when, in 1646, a cargo of Afri- 
cans came from the Guinea coast to Boston, the legis- 
lature ordered them to be sent back to their native 
country, with a letter of indignation ; and they were so 
scrupulous as to send and bring back one who had been 
already taken to Maine. In the Connecticut Colony, in 
1650, and in New Haven soon after, man-stealing was 
made a capital offence. In Rhode Island, also, the first 
act of the General Assembly in regard to slavery, in 
1652, ordered that no " blacke mankind or white" 
should be held in slavery for more than ten years, or 
after the age of twenty-fo ir. But these scruples were 
gradually disregarded, and slavery was established. 
Many influential men still protested against it, espe- 
cially Chief Justice Samuel Sewall, who published, in 
1700, a tract on the subject, called "The Selling of 
Joseph." An answer to this tract was soon published ; 
and Judge Sewall says in his letters that he met with 
" frowns and hard words " for it, but that he was sus- 
tained by the influence of some of the leading clergy- 
men, such as Rev. John Higginson of Salem. It was 
not till after the Revolution, however, that slavery dis- 
appeared from the New England Colonies. 



CHAPTER XI. 

OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY. 

THERE was once an English sailor, named Henry 
Hudson, who made some very daring voyages. 
The European nations were trying hard to discover a 
shorter passage to India, either by sailing to the north 
of Europe, or by finding some opening through the new 
continent of America. Henry Hudson had made two 
voyages for this purpose, in the employ of English 
companies. Twice he had sailed among the icebergs, 
and through the terrible cold, as far as Spitzbergen ; 
and twice he had turned back, because he could get no 
farther. But he was still as resolute and adventurous 
as ever, always ready for something new, — ready to 
brave the arctic cold or the tropic heat, if he could only 
find that passage to India which so many had sought 
in vain. At last, on th© 4th of April, 1609, the Dutch 
East India Company sent him out once more to make 
discoveries. The Dutch at that time were the great 
commercial nation of the world ; and Amsterdam was 
the centre of the commerce of Europe. There was not 
a forest of ship-timber in Holland ; but it owned more 
ships than all Europe beside, 

Henry Hudson's vessel was named the " Half- 
Moon." He had a crew of twenty Englishmen and 
ss 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK. 89 

Dutchmen ; and his own son was among them. First 
he sailed north, as he had done before, trying to reach 
Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla ; but he found icebergs 
everywhere, and his men almost mutinied because of 
the cold. Then he resolved to sail farther westward. 
He passed near Greenland, then southward to New- 
foundland, then to Cape Cod, then as far south as Vir- 
ginia ; then he turned northward again, observing the 
shore more closely, and found himself at the mouth of 
what seemed to him a broad strait or river. On the 
3d of September, 1609, he anchored near what is now 
Sandy Hook. There the Indians came out to trade 
with him ; and after a few clays he set sail again, fol- 
lowing the stream farther and farther, thinking that he 
had found the passage to India at last. 

It must have been an exciting thing to sail with 
Henry Hudson up that noble river, where no white 
man had ever sailed before. He said in his narrative 
that the lands on both sides were "pleasant with grass 
and flowers and goodly trees." " It is as beautiful a 
land as one can tread upon," he declared, " and abounds 
in all kinds of excellent ship-timber." The Indians 
came out to meet him in canoes " made of single 
hollowed trees ; " but he would not let them come on 
board at first, because one of them had killed one of 
his sailors with an arrow. After a while the Dutch- 
men put more confidence in the Indians, and let them 
bring grapes and pumpkins and furs to the vessel. 
These were paid for by beads, knives, and hatchets. 
At last the Indians invited the bold sea-captain to visit 
them on shore, and made him very welcome ; and one 
of their chiefs "made an oration, and showed him all 



90 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

the country round about." Henry Hudson sailed up 
as far as where the town of Hudson now stands ; and 
there, finding it- too shallow for his vessel, sent a boat 
farther still, — as far as what is now Albany. Then he 
turned back, disappointed, and sailed out of the 
" great river," or " Groot Rivier " as he called it, and 
went back to Holland. 

He never saw that beautiful river again. The Dutch 
East India Company did not care to explore it, since 
it did not lead to India ; and Hudson, on his next voy- 
age, went to the northern seas, hoping to find the pas- 
sage to India that way. He entered the bay that now 
bears his name ; and there his men mutinied, tied him 
hand and foot, put him on board a boat, with his son 
and a few companions, among the floating ice, and set 
him adrift. Nothing more was ever heard of him. 
But to this day some of the descendants of old Dutch 
families on the Hudson River tell legends of the dar- 
ing navigator who first explored it, and call him by the 
Dutch form of his name ; and, when the thunder rolls 
away ov^er the Highlands, they say, "There are Hen- 
drick Hudson and his crew playing ninepins among 
the hills." 

In a few years trading-posts began to be established 
on the Hudson River. King James I. of England had 
lately chartered two companies (as has already been 
told) for the purpose of colonizing North America. 
One was to take the northern part of the Atlantic coast, 
and the other the southern half; but he required that 
their nearest settlements should be a hundred miles 
apart, so that there should be no quarrelling between 
them. It did not occur to him, that, if he left this wide 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK. 91 

space open, some other nation might slip in between, 
and found colonies ; so that there might be quarrelling 
after all. Yet this was just what happened. After 
Henry Hudson's discoveries, Holland laid claim to all 
the land along the " great river," and called the whole 
territory " New Netherlands." Then, the next year, 
there came a bold sailor, named Adrian Block, the first 
European who ever sailed through Hurlgate, and as far 
as Block Island, which was named after him. He loaded 
his ship, the "Tiger," with bear-skins, at the mouth of 
the Hudson, and was just ready to sail, when the ship 
caught fire, and he had to land on Manhattan Island, 
where New York City now stands. There his men 
spent the winter of 1614. They put up some log-huts, 
and a fort of logs ; and before spring they built a new 
vessel of sixteen tons, called the " Onrust," or " Un- 
rest," a very good name for the restless navigators of 
those days. This was the first vessel built on this con- 
tinent by Europeans. This settlement, which was 
called " New Amsterdam," was the foundation of what 
is now the great city of New York ; and, ten years after 
that, the whole of Manhattan Island was bought from 
the Indians for twenty-four pounds sterling. Staten 
Island received its name from Henry Hudson, in honor 
of the Dutch government, " Staaten " being Dutch for 
"states." 

Settlers at first came slowly to New Amsterdam ; 
but the Dutch established several trading-posts, at dif- 
ferent points, where they might buy the skins of bea- 
vers, bears, and otters, which the Indians had trapped 
or shot. At first only poor immigrants came ; but, after 
a while, certain richer and more influential men were 



92 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

sent out, with special privileges, from the Dutch East 
India Company. Each of these had authority to found 
a colony of fifty persons, and to own a tract of land 
sixteen miles in length, bordering on any stream whose 
shores were not yet occupied, and running back as far 
as he pleased into the interior. He was required to pay 
the Indians for their land, and to establish his colony 
within four years. He could exercise authority on his 
own " manor," as it was called, without regard to the 
colonial government ; but he could not engage in the 
woollen or cotton manufacture, because that was a mo- 
nopoly of the Dutch East India Company. And this 
company also agreed to supply the manors with negro 
slaves, whom they imported from Guinea. These great 
proprietors were called " Patroons." 

This was a very different system from the simple 
way in which New England had been colonized, where 
all men were equal before the law, and each man had 
a voice in the government. The Dutch and English 
settlers did not agree very well, especially when both 
nations had begun to explore the Connecticut valley, 
and both wished to secure possession of it, The Eng- 
lishmen thought that the Dutchmen had no business, 
on the continent at all, and that they certainly had no 
claim to the Connecticut valley. On the other hand, 
the Dutchmen said that they had ascended the Con- 
necticut River first, and that their eastern boundary 
was the cape now called Cape Cod. Then the English- 
men charged the Dutchmen with exciting the Indians 
against them ; and, on the other hand, the Dutchmen, 
said that the English settlers were apt to get the better 
of them in making bargains. So the colony of New 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK. 93 

Netherlands got into more and more trouble with these 
active and sharp-witted neighbors ; and, besides that, 
the Indians were very troublesome ; and there was also 
a standing quarrel with the Swedish settlers in Dela- 
ware ; so that, on the whole, the Dutchmen had not so 
peaceful a time as they might have desired. 

If we could have visited a Puritan village in Massa- 
chusetts during those early days, and then could have 
sailed in a trading-vessel to New Amsterdam, we should 
have found ourselves in quite a different community from 
that we had left behind. The very look of the houses 
and streets would have seemed strange. To be sure, 
the very first settlers in both colonies had to build their 
cabins somewhat alike, — with walls of earth or logs, 
and thatched roofs, and chimneys made of small sticks 
of wood set crosswise, and smeared with clay. But, 
when they began to build more permanent houses, the 
difference was very plain. The houses in New Am- 
sterdam were of wood, with gable-ends built of small 
black and yellow bricks, brought over from Holland. 
Each house had many doors and windows ; and the 
date when it was built was often marked in iron letters 
on the front. The roof usually bore a weathercock, 
and sometimes many. The houses were kept very 
clean inside and out, — as clean as they still are in Hol- 
land, where you may see the neat housekeepers scrub- 
bing their doorsteps, even when the rain is pouring 
down upon their heads. The furniture in these houses 
was plain and solid, — heavy claw-footed chairs, pol- 
ished mahogany tables, and cupboards full of old silver 
and china. Clocks and watches were rare ; and the time 
was told by hour-glasses and sun-dials. The floors were 



94 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



covered with white sand, on which many neat figures 
were traced witli a broom. There were great open 
fireplaces, set round with figured tiles of different colors 
and patterns, commonly representing scriptural sub- 
jects, — the ark, the prodigal son, and the children 
of Israel passing the Red Sea. In the evening they 
burned pine-knots for light, or home-made tallow-can- 
dles. Every house had two or more spinning-wheels ; 
and a huge oaken chest held the household linen, all 




DncH HOUSE. 



of which had been spun upon these wheels by the 
women of the family. 

Many of the citizens had also country-houses, called 
" boweries," with porches, or " stoeps," on which the 
men could sit, and smoke their pipes ; for the Dutch 
colonists did not work so hard as those in New Eng- 
land : they moved about more slowly, and took more 
leisure, and amused themselves more, in a quiet way. 
They were not gay and light-hearted, and fond of dan- 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK. 95 

cing, like the French settlers in Canada ; but they liked 
plenty of good eating and drinking, and telling stories, 
and hearty laughter, and playing at " bowls " on smooth 
grass-plots. It was the Dutch who introduced various 
festivals that have been preserved ever since in Ameri- 
ca ; such as " Santa Claus," or " St. Nicholas," at 
Christmas-time, colored eggs at Easter, and the prac- 
tice of New- Year's visiting. They kept very early 
hours, dining at eleven or twelve, and often going to 
bed at sunset. Yet an early Swedish traveller describes 
them as sitting on the " stoeps " before their houses, on 
moonlight evenings, and greeting the passers-by, who, 
in return, were " obliged to greet anybody," he says, 
"unless they would shock the general politeness of the 
town." He also says that the Dutch people in Albany 
used to breakfast on tea, without milk, sweetened by 
holding a lump of sugar in the mouth ; and that they 
dined on buttermilk and bread, " and, if to that they 
added a piece of sugar, it was called delicious." But 
the Dutch housekeepers of New Amsterdam had a 
great reputation for cookery, and especially for a great 
variety of nice cakes ; such as doughnuts, olykoeks, and 
crullers. 

The people of New Netherlands were not quite so 
fond of church-going as those who had settled Plym- 
outh and Salem ; but they were steady in the support of 
public worship, and had a great respect for their minis- 
ters, whom they called " dominies." Sometimes the 
dominies had to receive their salaries in beaver-skins, 
or wampum, when money was scarce. The dominie 
of Albany had one hundred and fifty beaver-skins a 
year. As for the dress of these early colonists, the 



96 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

women used to wear close white muslin caps, beneath 
which their hair was put back with pomatum ; and they 
wore a great many short and gayly-colored petticoats, 
with blue, red, or green stockings of their own knitting, 
and high-heeled shoes. The men had broad-skirted 
coats of linsey-woolsey, with large buttons of brass or 
silver : they wore several pairs of knee-breeches, one 
over another, with long stockings, and with great 
buckles at the knees and on the shoes ; and their hair 
was worn long, and put up in an eelskin cue. As to 
their employments, the people of New Amsterdam used 
to trade with the West Indies and with Europe, export- 
ing timber and staves, tar, tobacco, and furs. They 
used to build their own ships for this commerce, giving 
them high-sounding names ; such as " Queen Esther," 
" King Solomon," and " The Angel Gabriel." 

One of the Dutch governors, named William Kieft, 
used to be called " William the Testy," from his hot 
temper ; and he kept the colony in a great deal of 
trouble, especially through his cruelty to the Indians, 
who injured the settlers very much in return. Gov. 
Kieft was very much displeased at the colonies sent 
from Massachusetts into Connecticut ; for he wished to 
see that region settled from New Amsterdam only. So 
he issued a proclamation against the New-England 
men. But they, instead of paying the least attention 
to it, attacked the Dutch fort at Hartford, and drove 
the garrison away. They also took possession of the 
eastern part of Long Island ; threw down the coat-of- 
arms of Holland, which had been set up there ; and put 
a figure of a "fool's head " in its place. This failure, 
and the severity of Kieft's government, made him very 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW YORK. 97 

unpopular ; and the people were very glad, when, in 
1647, Gov. Peter Stuyvesant was appointed in his 
stead. 

Gov. Stuyvesant was a brave and honest man, but 
was so obstinate, that he was often called " Hardkoppig 
Piet," or " Headstrong Peter." Sometimes he was 
called " Old Silverleg," because he had lost a leg in 
war, and used to stump about on a wooden leg orna- 
mented with strips of silver. Under his government 
the colony was well defended, for a time, against Indi- 
ans, Swedes, and Englishmen. The trouble was, that 
he was quite despotic, and was disposed to let the peo- 
ple have as little as possible to do with the government. 
They did not feel that they had as much freedom as 
those who lived in the other colonies ; and they were 
not so ready to fight for their patroons and for the East 
India Company, as were the English colonists for their 
own homesteads. Then the English settlers increased 
very fast in wealth and numbers ; and the Dutchmen 
rather envied them, even while quarrelling with them. 
At last, in 1664, an English fleet, with many recruits 
from New England on board, appeared before New 
Amsterdam ; and very soon the town was surrendered 
to the English by the general wish of the inhabitants, 
though quite against the will of " Headstrong Peter." 
He tore in pieces the letter from the English commo- 
dore requiring the surrender of the town ; but the peo- 
ple made him put it together again, and accept the 
terms offered. From that time forth, except for one 
short interval of time, the English held possession of 
New Netherlands. 

The name of the colony was then changed to New 

7 



98 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

York, in honor of the king's brother, the Duke of 
York, to whom King Charles II. gave the province. 
That part of New Netherlands south of the Hudson 
was, however, made into a separate province, under the 
name of New Jersey. The Duke of York allowed his 
own province to hold an assembly, that the people might 
make their own laws ; and in 1683 they obtained a 
charter for themselves, much like those of the colonies 
farther east. When the duke became king, under the 
name of James II., he tried to take away this charter, 
but never succeeded. New York remained an English 
province, and lost some of its Dutch peculiarities : but 
some of these traits lingered for a good many years ; 
and Dutch was long the prevailing language. There 
were still Dutch schools, where English was taught 
only as an accomplishment ; but there was no college 
till King's College (now Columbia) was founded, in 
1754. After the English had taken possession, a great 
manv immigrants came to New York, though not so 
many as to Philadelphia ; and these new-comers repre- 
sented many different nations. Indeed, Holland itself 
had long been the abode of men from a great many 
nations, both because of its commercial prosperity, and 
from its offering an asylum to those persecuted for their 
religion. So there was an unusual variety of people in 
New Amsterdam from the first ; and it is said that 
eighteen languages were already spoken there when it 
was transferred to the English. Thus New York 
seemed marked out, from the very beginning, for a cos- 
mopolitan city, — for the home of people from all parts 
of the orlobe. 



OLD DUTCH TIMES IN NEW JERSEY. 99 

NEW JERSEY. 

When the first Dutch settlers built their fort on Man- 
hattan Island, in 1614, they also built a redoubt on 
what is now the New Jersey shore, opposite ; and they 
afterwards claimed the whole region as a part of New 
Netherlands. Danish settlers also came very early, and 
settlers came from the English and Swedish colonies ; 
but this the Dutch did not approve : so they first used 
the help of the Swedes in driving out the English, and 
then drove out the Swedes themselves, sending most of 
them back to Europe. When the English got posses- 
sion of New Netherlands, in 1664, and the king gave 
it to his brother, the Duke of York, he in turn sold the 
southern part of it to two English noblemen, Lord 
Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The latter had been 
governor of the Island of Jersey in the British Channel ; 
and so he chose that name for the colony. His wife 
was named Elizabeth ; and he named a village Eliza- 
bethtown, after her. His part was called East New 
Jersey, and Lord Berkeley's was West New Jersey ; and 
the colony was commonly called " The Jerseys," for 
many years. The whole region was gradually pur- 
chased by the Society of Friends, or Quakers, and was 
chiefly settled by them. Other persecuted people came 
there also, especially Presbyterians from Scotland. 
They had perfect liberty of conscience ; and their char- 
ter said, " No person shall at any time, in any way, or 
on any pretence, be called in question, or in the least 
punished and hurt, for opinion in religion." At last, in 
1702, the colony was given up by the proprietors to 
Queen Anne, that a royal governor might be appointed. 



L.^Q, 



lOO YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

The two provinces were then made into one, though 
they had separate legislatures for a long time. Free 
schools were introduced ; and the College of New Jer- 
sey, now Princeton College, was founded in 1746. The 
colony remained quiet and at peace, down to the time 
of the American Revolution. " In all its borders," 
said a traveller, " there is not a poor body, nor one 
that wants." 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE FRIENDS IN PENNSYLVANIA, AND THE SWEDES 
IN DELAWARE. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 



PENNSYLVANIA 
was founded in a 
different way from any 
of the other colonies, 
for it was entirely 
planned by one great 
and good man, who 
was the proprietor of 
the soil where the col- 
ony was established. 
His name was William 
Penn. He was a young 
Englishman, highly 
educated, and rich. 
He had studied at Ox- 
ford University, and 
at a college in France ; 
but he was expelled 
from Oxford for tak- 
ing part in Quaker statue op penn m p„,l.delph,a 

meetings, and in some trouble that grew out of them ; 




m 



102 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

and he was afterwards imprisoned several times for 
the same offence. He became a very thoughtful and 
conscientious man. It was said as a joke, among his 
former fashionable friends, that " William Penn was 
a Quaker, or some very melancholy thing." He spent 
his money freely in aiding those who were punished for 
conscience' sake ; and finally he resolved to found a 
colony in America, where such persecuted people could 
take refuge. 

It happened that his father, who was a famous ad- 
miral in the English navy, had left, at his death, a 
claim for a large sum of money which he had lent to 
James II. before he came to the throne; and William 
Penn proposed to the king to give him a province in 
America, instead of that money. This the king was 
very glad to do ; for he had plenty of American lands, 
and very little of English gold and silver. So William 
Penn became the sole proprietor of a great tract of 
country, on condition of paying two beaver-skins annu- 
ually to the king. Penn wished to have this territory 
named Sylvania, because it was covered with forests 
{syl7>a being Latin for " a forest ") ; but his name was 
added to the word, against his wish, by the king ; and 
the whole region was called Pennsylvania. It had 
been visited by the Swedes and Finns in 1627, and had 
afterwards submitted to the Dutch of New Nether- 
lands, and had passed, with all the Dutch possessions, 
into English hands. William Penn sent out some emi- 
grants in 168 1, and came in person the year after. He 
was received with great enthusiasm. It seemed very 
appropriate that he should come in the ship " Wel- 
come." It was right that he should be welcomed ; for 



THE FRIENDS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



103 



he had permitted ever}'- poor emigrant to settle on this 
land which the king had given to Penn himself : and 
he had promised to secure freedom of thought and 
speech to all. He called it a " free colony for all man- 
kind," and wrote to the people, "You shall be governed 
by laws of your own making. I shall not usurp the 
right of any, or oppress his person." So when the 
Quaker King, as he was sometimes called, had landed, 
the English, Dutch, and Swedish settlers came together: 
the deeds given William Penn by the king were public- 
ly read ; and he addressed the people, who heard him 
with delight. The next year he bought the ground for 
his chief city from some Swedes, who had bought it 
from the Indians ; and he laid out the city, and gave it 
the name "Philadelphia," which means " brotherly love." 
He built it on the plan of the ancient city of Babylon; 
and he wished to have it " a faire and greene country 
towne." At first it consisted of three or four little 
cottages; and some of the people lived in hollow trees; 
but in three years it gained more than New York 
gained in fifty, though New York has since outstripped 
it, being far better situated for commerce. 

William Penn remained only two years in his colony, 
and then went back to England, where he staid a 
long time. During almost all this time, the people 
governed themselves, choosing their own officers, and 
making their own laws. There was no tax to support 
the poor, because none was needed. Every man who 
paid a tax for other purposes had a right to vote, with- 
out regard to religious belief, or to nationality. No 
oath was required of witnesses in court. Theatrical 
exhibitions were forbidden ; and some other laws were 



I04 yOUNCi FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

made that resembled those of the Puritans : but there 
was no rehgious persecution, and there was but one 
trial for witchcraft, and then the prisoner was convicted 
only of being " suspected of being a witch." Neverthe- 
less, some of the cruel punishments that were usual in 
that age came gradually into use in Pennsylvania ; and 
the whipping-post, the pillory, and the stocks were set 
up in the market-place. Slavery also existed in Penn- 
sylvania ; and, if a slave killed his master, it was the 
law that he should be burned, though there is no record 
that this ever happened there. 

After fifteen years of absence, William Penn returned 
to his colony, and staid two years, finding it very much 
changed since he left it. He was personally very 
popular ; and every one knew how generously he had 
thrown open to all settlers the estates that had been 
given him by the king. He himself felt that he had 
made great sacrifices. " O Pennsylvania," he once 
wrote, " what hast thou not cost me ! Above thirty 
thousand pounds more than I ever got for it, two 
hazardous and most fatiguing voyages, and my son's 
soul almost." This referred to a son of his, who had 
behaved very badly during the father's absence. The 
people of the colony knew what he had done for them, 
and were grateful ; and yet, after all, they were not so 
well contented as in those colonies where every man 
owned his own clearing. And, after William Penn had 
died, the settlers did not pay so much respect to the 
rights of his successors as they had paid to his rights ; 
and there was a good deal of discord in the colony. 

The early inhabitants of Pennsylvania were a very 
steady and industrious race. They lived by farming. 



THE FRIENDS IN PENNSYLVANIA. I05 

commerce, and ship-building ; constructing many 
vessels for sale, as well as for their own use. The 
great coal-mines of the State were not then discovered ; 
but some iron furnaces were quite early established. 
Most of the English settlers preserved the simplicity of 
Quaker ways ; but they led very comfortable and even 
luxurious lives. They did not establish schools and 
colleges quite so early as the eastern colonies ; yet the 
iirst girls' school in America is said to have been 
established at Lewistown, at a time when Delaware 
was a part of Pennsylvania. The University of Penn- 
sylvania was founded in 1749. 

Philadelphia remained, almost down to the Revolu- 
tion, " a faire greene country towne," such as William 
Penn had desired. The houses were generally of 
brick or stone, surrounded by gardens and orchards. 
A German traveller said, in 1748, that peaches were so 
abundant around the town, that the very pigs were fed 
on them ; and that the country-people in Europe 
guarded even their turnips more carefully than people 
in Pennsylvania guarded the most delicious fruits. 
Any one who chose could get over any wall, and help 
himself. Every Philadelphian, he said, had so much 
liberty and abundance, that he could live in his own 
house like a king. Yet in those days a Philadelphia 
shop was only a common dwelling-house with goods in 
the lower rooms, and with something hung over the 
door to show what was sold within, — perhaps a basket, 
a book, a wooden beehive, or a model of an anchor or 
a ship. In the street before the shop there was no 
pavement, only a narrow flagging in the middle of the 
sidewalk. There were weekly market-days, which 



Io6 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

were a kind of holiday ; and there was a public fair 
twice a year. At first the people were of a sober kind, 
and had fow amusements ; but later there was a dan- 
cing-school, and then a public ball-room, and a race- 
ground, and a pack cf hounds. As for travelling about, 
there was not very much of that to be done. Not only 
were there no railroads, but the common roads were 
bad, and the conveyances slow. In 1772 a stage, called 
" The Flying Machine," was advertised to go through 
from Philadelphia to New York in "the remarkably 
short time of two days." 

The Pennsylvania Colony was for many years more 
prosperous and comfortable than any other. Most of 
the foreign immigration came to the port of Philadel- 
phia ; and sometimes twelve thousand Germans arrived 
in a single year. About a third of the population 
were Quakers ; and these were a thrifty and orderly 
people. At the time of the American Revolution, 
Pennsylvania ranked third among the colonies ia 
population and power ; being only surpassed by Vir- 
ginia and Massachusetts. 

DELAWARE. 

It happened once that an Englishman, Lord de la 
Ware, who was then governor of Virginia, made an ex- 
ploring-expedition up the coast, and entered a beautiful 
river, which was afterwards called the Delaware, from 
his name. This was in 16 10. Twenty years after, the 
Dutch tried to found a colony there ; but the colonists 
were all killed by the Indians. Some years after that, 
it was permanently settled by Sweden. It was the only 
colony that Sweden ever founded. 



THE SWEDES IN DELAWARE. 107 

It happened in this way. Gustavus Adolphus, the 
most famous king of Sweden, — so famous, that he was 
called "The Lion of the North," — had heard about 
America, and resolved to plant a colony there. So a 
company was formed, which invited colonists, from 
every part of Europe, to go out under the control 
of the Swedish Government. The company resolved, 
in particular, to allow no slaves among them. 
" Slaves," they said, " cost a great deal, labor with re- 
luctance, and soon perish from hard usage. The Swe- 
dish nation is laborious and intelligent ; and surely we 
shall gain more by a free people with wives and chil- 
dren." Gustavus Adolphus called the proposed Amer- 
ican colony " the jewel of his kingdom," and thought 
that it would be a benefit to " all oppressed Christen- 
dom." 

Unfortunately the great Gustavus was killed in bat- 
tle in 1632 ; and his daughter Christina, a little girl 
only six years old, became queen in his place. But the 
Swedish prime-minister, Oxenstiern, was one of the 
wisest statesmen in Europe ; and he was resolved to 
carry out the plan of the American colony: so he sent 
out, in 1638, a large number of Swedes and Finlanders, 
who built a fort, and called it Christiana after their little 
queen. The colony itself they called New Sweden. 
Many more colonists followed, and their settlements ex- 
tended into what is now Pennsylvania ; so that the gov- 
ernor's house was atone time only a few miles from what 
is now Philadelphia. But this did not please the Dutch 
settlers in New Netherlands ; for they considered that 
they had taken possession of the region first, and 
that the Swedes were intruders. The Swedes were 



I08 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

very enterprising, and rivalled the Dutch in buying 
tobacco from Virginia traders, and in selling beaver- 
skins and other furs. Still the Dutch did not attack 
them, because the Swedish Government was power- 
ful in Europe, and would be sure to sustain its col- 
onies. However, the Dutch built a fort of their own, 
near Christiana; but the Swedes captured it. Then 
the Dutch company would bear it no longer ; and 
they ordered their governor, Peter Stuyvesant "to 
revenge their wrongs, to drive the Swedes from the 
river, or to compel their submission." So, in 1655, the 
Dutch governor sailed up the Delaware River, took 
back his own fort, and then took the Swedish forts. 
The Swedish Government had, by that time, grown 
much weaker in Europe, and did nothing to defend its 
only colony ; and, after seventeen years of separate 
existence, New Sweden was merged in New Nether- 
lands. 

Then came the English, in 1664, and drove out the 
Dutch from the whole of New Netherlands; so that 
Delaware belonged, in turn, to three different nations. 
After this it was at one time a part of Pennsylvania, 
and at another time a separate colony ; but it was 
always a small and peaceful community, being shel- 
tered from the Indian attacks by the other colonies 
around it. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE OLD DOMINION AND MARYLAND. 
VIRGINIA, 

I HAVE described the early colonies in geographical 
order, beginning with New England, because this 
order is so much easier to remember than any other. 
But no colony can claim to date back so far as Vir- 
ginia, " The Old Dominion " as it is sometimes called. 
Nothing but a ruined church, at a place called James- 
town, now marks the spot where the first Virginia 
settlement was made, in the year 1607, thirteen years 
before the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. 
When King James I. gave a charter to two companies, 
one of which was to settle south of a certain region, 
and the other north of it, leaving a vacant space be- 
tween them, it was the southern or Virginia company 
that settled Virginia. 

The commander of the vessels that brought out the 
first Virginia colony was Capt. Newport ; but the lead- 
ing person among those on board was Capt. John 
Smith, a man who had led a very strange life. He was 
born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1579. When he was 
a boy of thirteen, he sold his school-books and satchel, 
meaning to run away to sea. Then his father died sud- 



VIRGINIA. 



denly ; and he decided that he ought to stay at home. 
But he was willing to stay only two years ; after which 




he left England, went 
to France and Hol- 
land, and fought in vari- 
ous armies for several 
years. He had all sorts 
of wild adventures in 
these wars. Once, when 
sailing from Marseilles 
to Italy, he was accused 
by some superstitious 
fellow-passengers of being the cause of a storm that 



J- -nT >s^ 



RUINS OF JAMESTOWN. 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



had arisen : so they threw him overboard. He swam 
to an island, and was presently taken off by a French 
ship. This ship engaged in a sea-fight while he was on 
board ; and he so distinguished himself, that a part of 
the plunder of the hostile ship was given to him. After- 
wards he went to fight against the Turks ; and, during 
a long siege, a certain Turkish officer requested that 
some Christian officer would meet him in single com- 
bat "to amuse the ladies." 
Smith accepted the chal- 
lenge, and killed not only 
this ofiicer, but two others 
in succession. After a 
time he was taken pris- 
oner, was sold as a slave, 
and was pitied and aided 
by his mistress, whose 
name was Tragabizanda. 
Then, making his escape, 
he reached Russia, went 
thence to Austria, Spain, 
and Morocco, and came 
back to Europe at last, all 
ready for fresh adventures. 
He soon heard of Captain Newport's expedition to Vir- 
ginia, and eagerly joined it. 

They sailed Dec. 19, 1606, with three vessels; the 
party consisting of a hundred and five men in all, 
without women or children. When they at last entered 
Chesapeake Bay, the explorers were delighted with all 
they saw ; and Captain Smith wrote that " heaven and 
earth never agreed better to frame a place for man's 




CAPT. JOHN SMITH. 



VIRGINIA. 113 

habitation/' They called the capes between which they 
entered the bay, "Cape Henry" and " Cape Charles," 
after their young princes. They named " Old Point 
Comfort " for the good anchorage which they found 
there after a severe storm ; and they called James 
River " the King's River," and their first settlement 
"James City" (now Jamestown) in honor of their 
king. They landed at this place May 13, 1607, and 
founded the first permanent English colony in North 
America. 

It had been intended that Smith should be one of 
the directors of the colony; but the others were all 
jealous of him, and so prevented him from taking that 
position. But they could not prevent him from being 
the ablest man among them ; and so they often had to 
turn to him, and finally made him their president. 
The truth was, that the colonists were a troublesome 
class to deal with. Many of them were not at all in- 
dustrious or energetic. There were very few mechan- 
ics or farmers among them, though these are the men 
most needed in a new settlement. ■ Many of them were 
"useless gentlemen ; " and some were pardoned crimi- 
nals. Some of them expected to reach the Pacific 
Ocean soon after landing, and were discouraged be- 
cause they did not. Others went looking everywhere 
for gold, and loaded one of their ships with earth, 
mistaking it for precious ore. Smith wrote once to the 
company in England who had fitted out the colony : 
"When you send again, I entreat you rather send 
thirty carpenters, husbandmen, gardeners, fishermen, 
blacksmiths, and diggers-up of the roots, well provided, 
rather than a thousand of such as we have." Then 



114 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

they were reckless and wasteful, and built, says an old 
traveller, " a church that cost fifty pounds, and a tavern 
that cost five hundred." So Capt. John Smith had a 
good deal to do in keeping them to their duty, teaching 
them to cut down trees, and to build houses, drilling 
them as soldiers, and exploring the country to procure 
food for them. His punishment for idleness was star- 
vation ; and, in order to cure profane swearing, he had 
a daily account kept of every man's oaths; and at 
night, in penalty for each oath, he poured a can of cold 
water down the offender's sleeve. He himself worked 
harder than anybody ; so that the others were put to 
shame by his example. And after a while, when the 
wives and children of these men came out to them, 
and they began to have comfortable homes, they did a 
great deal better ; and Captain Smith wrote home that 
they had become " accomplished wood-cutters." Yet 
still one of their governors said that what the colony 
most needed was " a few honest laborers, burdened 
with children." 

Captain Smith wrote some vivid accounts of the early 
discomforts of the colony. He says, " When I first 
went to Virginia, I well remember, we did hang an 
awning (which is an old sail) to three or four trees, to 
shadow us from the sun : our walls were rails of wood ; 
our seats unhewed trees, till we cut planks ; our pulpit 
a bar of wood nailed to two neighboring trees. In foul 
weather we shifted into an old rotten tent, for we had 
few better ; and this came by way of adventure for new. 
This was our church, till we built a homely thing like a 
barn set upon crotchets, covered with rafts, sedge, and 
ejarth, as were also the walls. The best of our houses 



VIRGINIA. 115 

were of the like curiosity, but, for the most part, far 
worse workmanship, that could neither well defend 
wind nor rain." ..." Notwithstanding," he after- 
wards says, "out of the relics of our mercies, time and 
experience had brought that country to a great happi- 
ness, had they not so much doted on their tobacco, 
on whose firmest foundation there is small stability." 
It seems from this that Captain Smith foresaw whaf 
really happened, and feared that the cultivation of 
tobacco would exhaust the soil of Virginia, and would 
be in other respects injurious. 

Captain Smith, at different times, made expeditions 
along the coast as far as Maine. He visited the Isles 
of Shoals in New Hampshire, which were formerly 
called " Smith's Isles," and on which a monument is 
now erected to his memory. It was he who first gave 
the name of " New England " to that part of the coun- 
try ; and the names of " Plymouth " and " Cape Ann " 
and " Charles River " appear first on a map made by 
him. He also made expeditions into the interior of the 
country. On one of these he was made prisoner by the 
Indians ; and his few companions were killed. He, 
however, amused his captors by showing them his com- 
pass, and by explaining to them the movements of the 
earth and sun ; so that they spared him. Then he puz- 
zled them very much by writing a letter to be sent to his 
friends ; for the Indians could not well understand how 
a message could be put on a piece of paper. Then he 
was condemned to death by Powhatan, the Indian chief ; 
but the chief's daughter Pocahontas, a girl twelve years 
old, threw herself between the prisoner and the uplifted 
tomahawk, and Captain Smith was spared. This stor}- 



ii6 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



has been doubted in later times ; but it is certain that 
there was such a person as Pocahontas, and that, when 
she grew to be a woman, she became a Christian, was 
married to an Englishman named Rolfe, and went with 
him to England, where, as an English writer of that 
day says, " She did not onely accustom herself to civilite, 
but carried herself as the daughter of a king." She 




SMITH SHOWING COMPASS TO THE INDIANS. 

died soon after. Capt. John Smith also went to Eng- 
land in 1609, to be cured of a severe wound ; and he 
never returned to the colony. After his departure, 
things grew worse and worse among the emigrants ; and 
in six months they left Jamestown in despair, meaning 
to return to England forever. When Captain Smith had 
left them, there had been five hundred of them ; but 



VIRGINIA. 117 

now there were only sixty. " None dropped a tear," 
they wrote ; "for none had enjoyed one day of happi- 
ness." But, as they went down the James River, they 
met the long-boat of a vessel ; and it proved to belong 
to an English ship which had brought them out a sup- 
ply of provisions and a new governor. Lord De la Ware, 
or Delaware. Then they returned, and went on living 
in Jamestown ; but that period of suffering was always 
remembered as " the starving time." 

The settlers in Virginia did not generally live in 
villages, like those of the more northern colonies. 
The soil of Virginia was so productive, and the cultiva- 
tion of tobacco so profitable, that the men paid little 
attention to commerce or the fisheries ; and they were 
not, like the eastern colonists, obliged to live near 
one another for protection against the Indians. So 
no large towns or villages were established ; but they 
cultivated separate plantations, and it became the 
practice to send out " apprenticed servants " from Eng- 
land, who were sold for a certain number of years to 
the planters. These servants were men who had com- 
mitted crimes, or rebelled against the government, and 
who were sent to America in order that they might be 
of some use. After a time, in the year 1620, a Dutch 
trading-vessel brought a cargo of twenty negroes from 
Africa ; and the planters eagerly bought them, thus 
laying the foundation for the institution of slavery, 
which prevailed through the Southern States until 
within a very few years. The slaves became the field- 
laborers on the plantations, and were also the mechan- 
ics ; all articles of luxury being brought from England, 
and being paid for, like all else, with tobacco. Taxes 



Il8 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

were payable in tobacco ; and so were the salaries of 
the clergy, and all private debts. In the early days of 
the colony, ninety respectable young women were sent 
out by the company from England ; and whoever took 
one of them for a wife must pay a hundred pounds of 
tobacco. Fines were paid in the same commodity. If 
a woman was convicted of slander, her husband had to 
pay five hundred pounds of tobacco. Legacies were left 
by will, in the form of so much tobacco. A good deal 
of comfort was enjoyed in Virginia at that period ; and 
there was a good deal of rough and generous hospi- 
tality and a manly out-of-door life ; but there was very 
little education. A Virginia governor, writing in 167 1, 
said, " I thank God there are no free schools, nor print- 
ing ; and I hope we shall not have them these hundred 
years." Another governor gave orders " to allow no 
person to use a printing-press on any occasion what- 
ever ; " and still another taxed schoolmasters at twenty 
shillings a head. Yet William and Mary College, in 
Virginia, is, next to Harvard, the oldest college in 
America, having been founded in 1692. It had twenty 
thousand acres of land from the English king and 
queen, for whom it was named ; and duties were levied 
for its support. 

At first the Virginia settlers had no power given 
them to make laws for themselves ; and every thing was 
done by a council appointed by the king. Many of the 
early laws were very severe, especially about religious 
matters. In 1610 it was the law, that, if any man 
absented himself from church for a single Sunday, he 
must lose his provision and allowance for a week ; and, 
if he repeated the offence, he must lose his allowance, 



VIRGINIA. 



119 



and be whipped ; and, if he offended a third time, he 
must suffer death. At a later time it was decreed, that, 
for the first absence from church, he must be tied neck 
and heels that night, and be a slave to the colony for 
the next week ; for the second offence, he must be a 
slave a month ; and, for the third offence, a year and a 
day. There were severe laws against swearing and 
scolding ; and a woman who was an habitual scold 
might be ordered to be ducked three times in running 
water. In Virginia men and women might be pun- 
ished by being publicly whipped ; or by being placed 
in the stocks ; or by standing in church, during the 
service, with white sheets over them, and white wands 
in their hands ; or by standing at the church-door with 
the names of their crimes pinned upon their breasts. 
There were also laws against the entrance of Quakers 
and Roman Catholics into the colony ; and they were 
severely punished if they came. All these things were 
the practice of that period ; and very few communities 
were free from them. 

The influence of the clergy was not so great in Vir- 
ginia as in the New England Colonies ; and the char- 
acter of the early clergymen was not so high. Many 
instances are recorded of drunken and disorderly min- 
isters of the Church of England, who came to the Vir- 
ginia Colony, and set a very bad example in the way of 
drunkenness, gambling, and other vices. Society in 
Virginia was free, hospitable, and not very severe as to 
morality. Many of the colonial gentlemen lived on 
large plantations, owned many thousand acres of land, 
held many slaves, and kept open house. There was a 
good deal of show and ceremony on public occasions. 



I20 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

One of the early governors, whenever he attended 
church, did so with a formality thus described by his 
secretary : " Every Sunday, when the lord-governor and 
captain-general goeth to church, he is accompanied by 
all the counsellors, captains, other officers, and all the 
gentlemen, with a guard of Halbardiers in his lordship's 
livery (fair red cloakes), to the number of fifty, on each 
side, and behind him. His lordship hath his seat in the 
Quoir, in a great velvet chair, with a cloth, with a velvet 
cushion spread before him, on which he kneeleth ; and 
on each side sit the council, captains, and officers, each 
in their place ; and, when he returneth home again, he 
is waited on to his house in the same manner." 

After a time the people of Virginia secured the right 
to govern themselves. They had a legislature of their 
own choosing, called "the House of Burgesses," whose 
laws only needed the approval of the company in Eng- 
land ; and a written constitution was obtained at last. 
The existence of slavery among them caused much igno- 
rance and idleness, as the wisest Virginians admitted ; 
but there grew up an aristocratic class, among whom 
there were many men of high character and energy. 
There still remain in Virginia the ruins of many old 
churches, and of stately houses built of imported brick, 
and having carved mahogany stairways, the memorials 
of a proud and wealthy colony. At the time of the 
American Revolution, Virginia was the leader among 
the colonies : it was the first to propose separation from 
the mother-country, and furnished many of the ablest 
men, both in congress and in camp. 



MARYLAND. 



MARYLAND. 



The first settlement in what is now Maryland was 
made by a party from Virginia, headed by Capt. Wil- 
liam Clayborne, who had a permit from the king of 
England to make discoveries, and to engage in the fur 
trade. He settled on Kent Island, in Chesapeake 
Bay, in 1631. But that region had been explored, just 
before, by an Englishman, George Calvert, Lord Balti- 
more ; and he had persuaded King Charles I. to 
give him a charter for a colony there. Lord Baltimore 
died before the charter was signed ; but his son Cecil, 
the second Lord Baltimore, took his place. In this 
charter, the new province was named " Terra Mariae," 
or " Mary's land," in honor of Queen Henrietta Maria, 
wife of the reigning king. Lord Baltimore sent out an 
expedition under his brother, Leonard Calvert. There 
were some two hundred colonists ; and they sailed in 
two vessels, the " Ark " and the " Dove." They landed 
in March, 1634; and their first settlement was called 
" St. Mary's," in honor of their queen. They often 
called themselves " the pilgrims of St. Mary's." 

Maryland was the only early colony which the king 
expressly agreed to let entirely alone. Lord Baltimore 
was to govern it without help or hindrance from Eng- 
land. The king even promised not to tax the colony, 
on condition that it should send him two Indian arrows 
every year in token of subjection, and should pay him 
one-fifth of any gold or silver that might be found 
within its borders. The charter provided that the 
settlers should have a certain share in making the 
laws 3 but, in fact, the laws were chiefly made by Lord 



122 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

Baltimore, or by the governors whom he appointed. 
This the people did not like very well ; although Lord 
Baltimore was a good and enlightened man, and was 
particularly wise in regard to religious toleration. He 
was a Roman Catholic, and so were most of the first 
colonists ; but, from the very foundation of the settle- 
ment, it was understood that all Christian denomina- 
tions were to be on an equality in Maryland. In 
1649 the Assembly passed an act, providing that 
" no person professing to believe in Jesus Christ " 
should " be molested in their religion, or in the free 
exercise thereof, or be compelled to the belief or 
practice of any other religion, against their consent." 
This did not, like the Rhode Island law, afford tolera- 
tion to Jews, and all others who were not Christians ; 
but hardly any other government in that age was so lib- 
eral as Maryland in this respect. The Quakers were 
sometimes punished for refusing to do military duty, 
but never for preaching their religious doctrines. The 
colony was sometimes called " the land of the sanctu- 
ary." 

Many Puritans, driven from Virginia by persecution, 
took refuge in Maryland, and, after a time, made a 
good deal of trouble, because they and their leader, 
Clayborne, could not get along harmoniously with the 
Roman Catholics. The Puritans were at last strong 
enough to pass an act, declaring that the Roman Cath- 
olics were not entitled to protection in the colony which 
they had founded. Then the king settled the matter by 
establishing the Church of England in Maryland, in 
1691 ; and, some twenty years after, he gave the colony 
into the hands of one of Lord Baltimore's descendants, 



MARYLAND. 



123 



who had become a Protestant. Apart from this trouble 
about religion, Maryland was prosperous, and was much 
like Virginia in the occupations and habits of the peo- 
ple. It was a slaveholding community : there were few 
large towns ; and the people generally lived on planta- 
tions, and raised tobacco. Like the Virginians, they 
paid their bills with this plant, and their State House 
cost forty thousand dollars' worth of tobacco. The In- 
dians molested them but little ; and, even in the French 
and Indian wars, it was only the far western settle- 
ments in Maryland that were disturbed. There was, to 
be sure, a good deal of trouble between Maryland and 
Pennsylvania about their boundary line ; but that was 
settled at last by appointing two surveyors. Mason and 
Dixon, to determine it ; and the line they drew in 1750 
has always been called " Mason and Dixon's line." 
For many years this line was of special importance, 
because it divided the slaveholding States of the Union 
from the free States. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE SOUTHERN COLONIES. 
NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. 

THE name of Carolina was first given to the region 
that now bears it, by a little colony of French 
Protestants, under Jean Ribault, who arrived as early 
as 1562, fleeing from persecution at home. They landed 
at Port Royal ; built there a fort of concrete, a part of 
the walls of which may still be seen ; and raised a stone 
monument engraved with the lilies which were the sym- 
bol of France. They named the new country Carolina, 
after Charles (or Carolus) IX., then king of France. 
But the colony failed, like almost every one planted on 
the American continent during that century. The sur- 
viving Frenchmen all went back to France ; and the 
attempt was abandoned. It was almost a hundred years 
before settlements began to be made from Virginia, from 
the New England Colonies, and from Barbadoes. Then, 
after a while, a great plan was formed in England for 
colonizing Carolina. I speak of North and South Car- 
olina as one ; for they were not separated till long 
after. 

In the year 1663 King Charles II. of England 
granted the whole region called Carolina to eight pro- 
124 



NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. 125 

prietors, most of whom were noblemen at his court. 
They were men of wealth and influence ; and they 
resolved to have a much more aristocratic form of 
government than any yet existing in America. At the 
request of the king, the plan for this was drawn up 
by a philosopher named John Locke. It was skil- 
fully arranged in order to keep all the power in the 
hands of a very few persons. There was to be a regu- 
lar order of nobility, as in European countries. These 
nobles were to be called earls and barons ; and the 
lands were all to belong to them, while the condition 
of the common people was to be little better than that 
of slaves. But it turned out that the men who planned 
all this knew very little about colonies, and about the 
strong desire the people would show for self-govern- 
ment. King Charles and John Locke thought that the 
way to have the colony prosper was to give the mass 
of the people hardly any power; but it had been found 
in all the other colonies that the way to secure pros- 
perity was to let the settlers own their lands, and gov- 
ern themselves as far as possible. So it turned out, at 
last, that the proprietors and earls and barons, who 
claimed to own Carolina, staid at home ; and the plan 
of government from which so much was expected hardly 
went into operation at all. 

Meanwhile settlers came from all flirections into 
Carolina. There were English, Irish, Scotch, Dutch, 
and French. These last were Huguenots, or Prot- 
estants, fleeing from persecution, like those other 
Frenchmen who had given Carolina its name, and set 
up the lilies of France there, a hundred years before. 
These Huguenots had quitted France forever, and 



126 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

sought religious freedom under the English flag. Per- 
sonal freedom was not valued so highly in the colony ; 
and negro slaves were introduced from Barbadoes in 
1665. Except in this respect, the colony prospered for 
a long time. The rice-plant is said to have been acci- 
dentally obtained out of the cargo of a vessel from 
Madagascar, that put into the port of Charleston, and 
it was soon very extensively cultivated ; but it was long 
before cotton was introduced, though it has since 
become the chief product of the southern part of 
Carolina. It soon became the habit of the people of 
that southern region to live on large isolated planta- 
tions, as in Virginia ; but, in the northern part of 
Carolina, the settlers lived far apart from one another, 
in the woods, where there were no roads ; and they 
could only travel by paths " blazed " through the woods 
by notches made here and there upon the trees. 
There they supported themselves by cutting timber, 
making tar and turpentine, hunting the bear, and trap- 
ping the beaver ; all this being done with the aid of 
slaves, whom they had brought with them from Vir- 
ginia. So the northern and southern parts of Carolina 
came to have different habits and interests, even 
before they were separated into two distinct colonies. 

At one time, when Spain and England were at war, 
the province of Carolina was drawn into hostilities 
with the Spanish settlements in Florida. The colonists 
sent an armed expedition against St. Augustine ; and, 
in return, the Spaniards excited the Indians against 
the colonists. Both portions of Carolina had much 
trouble from these Indians, especially from the tribe 
of Tuscaroras, who were at last conquered, and had to 



GEORGIA. 127 

emigrate to New York, where they joined the Five 
Nations, in 1722. During the French and Indian wars, 
the French attacked Carolina from Havana ; and the 
colonists were much harmed by these various enemies. 
They were also very much dissatisfied with the govern- 
ment of the English proprietors of the soil ; and at 
last they rebelled, imprisoned the secretary of the 
province, and banished the governor. Finally they 
petitioned the king of England to buy out the pro- 
prietors, and make two royal provinces of the whole. 
This was done in 1729, after which North and South 
Carolina were permanently separated. Each province 
had a royal governor, with an assembly chosen by the 
people. As time went on, these royal governors be- 
came almost as unpopular as those whom the proprie- 
tors had before appointed. So the desire for self- 
government grew stronger and stronger among the 
people, down to the time of the American Revolution. 

GEORGIA. 

The colony of Georgia was founded by a very re- 
markable man. Gen. James Oglethorpe. He became 
an officer in the British army when very young, and 
was a great favorite with every one, on account of his 
courage, fine manners, and good looks. After a time 
he volunteered for duty in the army of Prince Eugene 
of Savoy, who was then fighting against the Turks. 
After distinguishing himself at the siege of Belgrade, 
Oglethorpe returned to England, and became a mem- 
ber of parliament. While in that position he was 
particularly interested in the condition of the poor 



125 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

debtors in England, who were then cruelly treated. 
This led him to plan a colony, to be established in 
America, whither all who were poor and 'unfortunate 
might come, and all who were persecuted for their reli- 
gion. So he applied to King George II. for lands to 
be thus used ; and the king gave him a large tract be- 
tween Carolina and Florida. It was quite large enough 
indeed ; for it was supposed to reach to the Pacific 
Ocean. But, as it had been claimed by both the Eng- 
lish and Spanish, there was some doubt about the title 
to it ; and this doubt led to much trouble afterwards. 
However, Oglethorpe fitted out a colony to his new 
possessions, in 1733, and went himself as their gov- 
ernor. The colony was named Georgia, after the king. 
The land was given to Oglethorpe and his associates 
" in trust for the poor ; " and the seal of the colony 
represented a family of silkworms with a Latin motto, 
meaning, " Not for themselves, but for others." 

When Oglethorpe first arrived in the wilderness, he 
pitched his tent under four large pine-trees, where now 
Savannah stands. This tent was for a year his only 
abode. He had a royal title to the land ; but he took 
care to pay the Indians of that region for it, and they 
were always friendly to him. Some of the chiefs 
presented to him a buffalo-skin, with the head and 
feathers of an eagle painted on the inner side. They 
said, " The feathers of the eagle are soft, signifying 
love ; the skin is warm, and is the emblem of protec- 
tion : therefore love and protect our little families." 
Oglethorpe always acted on this request ; and he was 
not only a friend to the Indians, but also to the 
negroes ; and, though slavery existed in the neighboring 



GEORGIA. 129 

colony of South Carolina, he would not have it intro- 
duced into Georgia. He said, that, if slaves were to be 
introduced into Georgia, he could "have no further 
concern with the colony." He also forbade the im- 
portation of rum ; and it was not allowed until after his 
departure. 

Many of the settlers in Georgia were Moravians, a 
persecuted sect of Christians from Austria. Some 
celebrated English preachers came out to visit these 
people, — John and Charles Wesley, the founders of the 
great Methodist denomination ; and George Whitefield, 
who founded an " Orphan House " at Savannah, and 
supported it with sums of money gained by his preach- 
ing. But Whitefield was not so consistent as Ogle- 
thorpe in one respect ; for Whitefield was in favor of 
slavery, and it was by his influence that it was intro- 
duced into Georgia at last, after Oglethorpe's departure. 
The Wesleys, on the other hand, called slavery " the 
sum of all villanies." 

After a time, when there was war between Spain and 
England, Georgia, like Carolina, was led into hostilities 
with the Spanish colony of Florida. Oglethorpe was 
made commander of the whole colonial force of a thou- 
sand white men and some Indians, and made an attack 
on St. Augustine in 1740. This failed ; and he after- 
wards had to defend his own colony against an attack 
of the Spaniards. They came with three thousand men, 
and landed on St. Simon's Island, where they were at 
last utterly defeated. Soon after this, Oglethorpe left 
the colony for England. The other trustees, who had 
been appointed by the king, were in many respects 
unpopular. Some of their laws were very vexatious ; 

9 



130 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

as, for instance, that which limited the size of a man's 
farm, and that which prohibited women from inheriting 
land. After a while there were so many complaints 
that they gave up their charter ; and Georgia became 
a royal province. The king appointed most of the 
officers, though there was an Assembly of the people. 
General Oglethorpe never came back to America, but 
was always a warm friend to it. He lived to be a very 
old man, and was distinguished, when almost ninety, by 
his personal eloquence and courtesy. He was one of 
the best and noblest men ever connected with the 
settlement of America. 

Besides the Moravian settlement, there was a High- 
land settlement, of Scotch Highlanders, in Georgia, 
whose affection Oglethorpe had first won by wearing 
the Highland dress when he went to visit them. These 
Highlanders, like the Moravians, took a good deal of 
pains about the education of their children, — a thing 
much neglected in the rest of the colony. The people 
cleared the forests, and occupied themselves in agricul- 
ture, with the aid of their slaves. Great pains were 
taken by the English Government to encourage the 
manufacture of silk, and, for a time, it flourished. 
Persons skilled in the rearing of the worms, and the 
winding of the silk, were sent out from England ; and 
this industry was continued in Georgia down to the 
time of the Revolution. General Oglethorpe took to 
England the first silk that was produced ; and the 
queen had a dress made of it. Georgia never was 
thickly settled, and was the youngest and weakest of 
the colonics at the time when the great war broke 
out that separated them from the mother-country, and 
united them all into a nation. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE INDIAN WARS. 



SOON after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, 
they saw a few Indians, who ran away. But, in the 
following spring, an Indian came boldly among them, 
one day, saying, " Welcome, Englishmen ! " This sur- 
prised them very much ; for they did not know how the 
stranger could have learned the English language. It 
turned out that his name was Samoset, and that he 
lived farther east, along the coast, and had known the 
English fishermen. Many Indians had made acquaint- 
ance with Europeans in this way, and had sometimes 
been treated badly ; so that they were not all as confid- 
ing as Samoset. He remained one night with the set- 
tlers ; and, when he went away, they gave him a knife, 
a bracelet, and a ring ; and he promised to return soon, 
and bring other Indians with beaver-skins for sale. Ere 
long he returned, and made the Englishmen acquainted 
with a chief, called Massasoit, who ruled more men than 
any one in that region. He soon made a treaty with 
the colonists in behalf of his tribe ; and this treaty 
lasted more than fifty years. Massasoit was the 
sachem of the Wampanoags, a tribe that had been 
very important, though it had just been greatly reduced 



132 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



by disease ; and his friendship was of the greatest value 
to the Pilgrims. 

Once the Pilgrims sent an expedition to Massasoit's 
lodge to visit him. The messengers carried " a horse- 
man's coat of red cotton " for the king, and beads and 
jack-knives for his chiefs ; and Massasoit put on his red 
coat, and treated them kindh'. At another time, when 




WELCOME, ENGLISHMEN '. 



a friendly Indian, named Squanto, was said to have 
been killed by the Narragansetts, a party of ten colo- 
nists marched into the forest, and surrounded the hut 
where the chief of this tribe was ; and, though he had 
five thousand fighting men at his command, they com- 
pelled him to leave Squanto unhurt. The Indians had 
not yet learned the use of fire-arms ; and their arrows 



THE INDIAN WARS. 133 

did not put them ou an equality with the well-armed 
Englishmen. Afterwards the chief of the Narragan- 
setts sent to Governor Bradford a bundle of arrows 
wrapped in the skin of a rattlesnake. The governor 
stuffed the skin with powder and shot, and sent it 
back ; and the Indians were afraid to keep it, and 
threatened no more. But the Pilgrims paid for all 
they obtained from the natives ; and, when they finally 
went to war, it was to defend another colony, which 
had treated the Indians badly. In this war, under 
Capt. Miles Standish's orders, several Indians were 
killed ; and this caused great regret to good Mr. Rob- 
inson, the pastor whom the Pilgrim congregation had 
left behind at Leyden. " I would you had converted 
some," said he, " before you had killed any." 

Both in the Plymouth and the Massachusetts Col- 
onies, it was the rule that no one should take any 
thing from the Indians without paying for it. The year 
after the Massachusetts Colony was founded (1631), 
the court decreed thus, in the quaint spelling of those 
days: "It is ordered, that Josias Plastowe shall (for 
stealing four baskets of corne from the Indians) 
returne them eight baskets againe, be fined five pounds, 
and hereafter be called by the name of Josias & not 
Mr. as formerly he used to be." This shows how 
carefully they tried to do justice ; though it is very 
likely that there was often occasion for such punish- 
ments as this. Large tracts of land were often ob- 
tained for a blanket or a knife ; and, though this 
bargain would now seem to us very unfair, yet we must 
remember that the knife or the blanket might often be 
of more value to the Indian than a dozen square miles 



134 YOUNG folks' united states. 

of forest land, especially as there was a whole conti- 
nent left for him to occupy. It was only when settlers 
multiplied, that land began to have any of the value 
that it now possesses. 

The first Connecticut settlers had fiercer tribes to 
deal with than the Pilgrims ; and they had very early a 
war with the Pequots, in which all the New England 
colonists were involved. It would have been much 
more serious than it was, but that Roger Williams 
used his influence over the Narragansett tribe to keep 
them from joining the war. A council of the Indians 
was being held ; and Roger Williams, in order to save 
the very men who had banished him from Massachu- 
setts, went many miles in a canoe in a severe storm. 
The Pequots were enraged with Williams for inter- 
fering ; but, after four clays of delay, the Narragansetts 
refused their aid. The Pequots kept up constant at- 
tacks upon the Connecticut settlers ; and at last an 
expedition was sent against them (in 1637), consisting 
of ninety white men and several hundred Indian allies, 
under command of Capt. John Mason. Their object of 
attack was the chief fort of the Pequots, which lay near 
what is now Stonington, Conn. The fort covered more 
than an acre, which was enclosed by trunks of trees, 
about twelve feet high, set firmly in the ground, close 
together. Within these were some seventy wigwams, 
covered with matting and thatch, and arranged in two 
lanes. There were two entrances ; and Captain Mason 
stationed himself at one of these, and the next in com- 
mand, Captain Underbill, at the other, each having a 
portion of the colonists with him, while the Indian allies 
were arranged outside. As they were taking their posi- 



THE INDIAN WARS. 



f35 



tions, a clog barked, and they heard the cry from within, 
^^Owanux, Owaimx /" ("Englishmen, Englishmen!") 










CAPTAIN UNDERHILL S PICTURE OF THE FIGHT. 

Then the attack began. The roofs of the Indian cabins 
were set on fire, and the greater part of the Indians 
'were killed ; while only two white men were slain, 



136 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

many, however, being wounded. It was the first great 
blow inflicted by the whites on the Indians ; and, for 
forty years after it, there was much more peace between 
the two races in New England. 

It is pleasant to know, that, while this fighting was 
going on, there were men among the Puritans who 
were trying to do good to the Indians, and to secure 
peace in a gentler way. One of the most eminent of 
the Massachusetts clergymen, Rev. John Eliot, " the 
apostle Eliot," as he was called, devoted himself to 
learning their habits and language, and to making for 
them a translation of the Bible. This translation was 
printed at Cambridge ; and part of the type was set 
by an Indian compositor. Eliot gathered those who 
became Christians into a town at Natick, Mass. Other 
good men imitated him,. such as the Mayhews, Cotton, 
Brainerd, and others ; and at last there were thirty 
churches of " praying Indians " as they were called, 
under native preachers. Similar churches had been 
established in Canada by the French Roman Catholic 
missionaries. Once, during the time when there was 
bitter hostility between the English and French settlers, 
a Jesuit missionary, named Dreuillettes, came to the 
Massachusetts Colony on an embassy, to try to make a 
league with the English settlers against the Mohawks. 
It was a time when Jesuits were forbidden, on pain of 
death, from coming to Massachusetts ; but this mission- 
ary came, and was kindly received by Eliot, whom he 
calls " Maistre Heliot," and who invited the supposed 
Jesuit to pass the winter with him. There were so 
many quarrels between the French and the English in 
those early days, and between the Roman Catholics and 



THE INDIAN WARS. 



137 



Protestants, that it is pleasant to see any instances of 
harmony and toleration. 

The severest of the early Indian wars broke out in 
1675, ^^^^^ ^^^^ called " King Philip's War." King Philip 
was the son of Massasoit, the firm friend of the whites, 
and he ruled over the Wampanoags. His chief res- 
idence was at Mount Hope, nearly opposite what is 
now called Fall River, Mass. 
That peninsula had been re- 
served for the tribe, when the 
rest of their lands were sold. 
Philip was a brave and thought- 
ful man. He saw that the 
white settlements were grad- 
ually increasing, and that the 
Indians were being confined 
to a smaller and smaller space ; 
and he resolved to unite the 
tribes in a desperate effort to 
drive the English from the 
soil. He went from tribe to 
tribe, all the way from Maine 
to Connecticut, and almost 
every tribe joined the league, even the friendly Nar- 
ragansetts, whose chief, Miantonomi, had been slain 
through the treachery of some whites. Philip had laid 
his plans so well, that the war broke out along a line of 
two hundred miles, within three weeks. It was pecu- 
liarly severe in Western Massachusetts, where town after 
town was burned. Tradition says, that in one village, 
Hadley, when it was attacked by the Indians, and the 
settlers were all irresolute for want of a leader, a ven- 




KING PHIZJP. 



138 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

erable man, unknown to all, appeared suddenly in the 
streets, took command of the people, gave military 
orders that led to the defeat of the Indians, and then 
disappeared as suddenly as he came. It was afterwards 
supposed that this mysterious person was William Goffe, 
who had been a general in Cromwell's army, and had 
been compelled to flee from England as a "regicide" 
for having been one of the judges who sentenced 
Charles I. to death. Goffe, and his companion Whalley, 
were long in concealment among the forests and caves 
of Connecticut. This sudden appearance at Kadley is 
described in Hawthorne's story of " The Gray Cham- 
pion," though he has changed the time and place of 
the event. 

To break the power of the Indian league, an expedi- 
tion of a thousand men, under Captain Winslow, was 
sent against the Narragansetts in Rhode Island. In 
the depth of winter, the colonists made their way to 
the Narragansett town. It was in a swamp, surrounded 
by palisades. At last, after two hours' fighting, the 
attacking-party entered the fort ; and the tribe was 
almost wholly exterminated. Still Philip kept in the 
field, and is said to have slain one of his warriors for 
proposing peace. In 1676 a strong Puritan force was 
sent against him, under Captain Church ; and they cap- 
tured his wife and child. " My heart breaks," said 
King Philip : " now I am ready to die." The child was 
a boy of nine, and was the last of the race of Massa- 
soit. The Puritans, who had owed so much to the 
grandfather, sold the child as a slave to Bermuda. 
Soon after this. King Philip was hunted down and 
killed ; and so ended a war that had lasted two years, 



THE INDIAN WARS. 139 

and had cost, as was estimated, six hundred lives. 
Twelve or thirteen towns had been entirely destroyed ; 
and it was estimated that one family in every eleven 
had been burned out, and that every eleventh soldier 
had fallen. 

While these Indian wars were going on in New Eng- 
land, other colonies had similar troubles. The Dutch 
in New Amsterdam committed cruel outrages on the 
Indians, and suffered severely in return. In Virginia 
the Indians attacked the remoter villages ; and the 
English Government would not let the settlers have 
arms for their own defence. This led to a sort of 
rebellion ; and a brave man named Nathaniel Bacon 
procured a supply of arms, and organized a force. to 
fight the Indians. Then Governor Berkeley tried to 
put him down ; and Bacon took the city of Jamestown, 
and burned it in revenge, beginning with his own house, 
and destroying the whole town so thoroughly, that 
scarcely a vestige of it now remains. Soon after this. 
Bacon died ; but there was more peace with the 
Indians in Virginia for many years after this. 

The colony that had least trouble with the Indians 
in early days was Pennsylvania. This was partly the 
result of the wise and righteous course pursued by 
William Penn, the founder. He made a treaty, in the 
very year of his arrival (1682), with the Delawares and 
other tribes. Standing under a great elm-tree at 
Shackamaxon, on the northern edge of Philadelphia, 
he told the Indians how he meant to treat them. He 
said to them, " I will not call you children, for parents 
sometimes chide their children too severely ; nor bro- 
thers only, for brothers differ. The friendship between 



140 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

you and me I will not compare to a chain ; for that the 
rains might rust, or the falling tree might break. We 
are the same as if one man's body were to be divided 
into two parts: we are all one flesh and blood." To 
this the Indians replied, "We will live in love with 
William Penn and his children as long as the sun and 
moon shall endure." And they fulfilled this treaty. 
Pennsylvania is said to have been the only colony 
where the evidence of an Indian was taken in court 
against that of a white man ; and the Indians jDroved 
themselves worthy of this just treatment. 

The Society of Friends, or Quakers, in New Jersey, 
showed the same generous and just conduct toward 
the Indians ; and the Indians treated them equally well. 
" You are brothers," said the sachem ; " and we will 
live like brothers with you. We will have a broad path 
for you and us to walk in. If an Englishman falls 
asleep in this path, the Indian shall pass him by, and 
say, ' He is an Englishman, he is asleep : let him 
alone.' " 

It is often said that not a drop of Quaker blood was 
ever shed by an Indian ; and, though this is not quite 
true, yet it is true that Pennsylvania and New Jersey 
suffered much less than most of the other colonies. 
This was partly due to William Penn's policy ; but it 
is also to be remembered that the Indians on whose 
territory the Quaker colonists settled were a peaceful 
and humble tribe (the Delawares), who had been 
conquered by the Iroquois. It is not certain that it 
would have been as easy to keep the peace with the 
fierce tribes that then inhabited New England and 
New York. But Penn's treaty with the Indians has 



THE INDIAN WARS. I41 

always been very famous ; and the great elm-tree under 
which it was made was so well known, that almost a 
century afterwards, when the American colonies were 
fighting for their independence, the commander of an 
English army placed a sentinel under that tree to pro- 
tect it from his soldiers, who were cutting down all the 
surrounding trees for fuel. It stood safely until within 
a few years, when it was blown clown. 

The successors of AVilliam Penn did not always 
continue his generous treatment of the Indians. For 
instance, there was a celebrated purchase of land, 
called the "Walking Purchase." The proprietors of 
the soil had a deed from the Indians, granting them as 
much land in a certain direction as a man could walk 
over in a day and a half. Of course, it was supposed 
that the walking would be done by an ordinary man in 
an ordinary way. Instead of this, the proprietors laid 
out a smooth road for the whole distance ; then chose 
the most active men they could anywhere find, and put 
them in training for the walk. Thus they included a 
great distance in the land walked over, and then 
required the Indians to remove from it. The Dela- 
wares objected ; and then the more powerful Iroquois, 
their previous conquerors, were called in by the Eng- 
lish, and forcibly drove the Delawares from the lands. 
William Penn certainly would not have approved of this 
mode of dealing. However, the Pennsylvania colo- 
nists always suffered less from the Indians than did 
almost any other colony, down to the terrible period of 
the " French and Indian wars." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 

THE terrible "French and Indian wars," in which 
all the colonies were more or less involved, took 
place in this way. As the white settlements increased, 
the native tribes steadily diminished ; so that by 1675, 
when there were fifty-five thousand whites in New Eng- 
land, there were but some thirty thousand Indians. 
The Indians' lands had been bought by the new-comers, 
or obtained by treaty, or seized after war, till they were 
reduced to mere strips of territory here and there. 
Then the white men were much better armed, even 
after the natives had learned the use of fire-arms. So 
the Indians could not cope with the English without 
some aid ; and, unhappily, the French settlers in 
Canada were very willing to render this aid. For the 
French had been the first explorers of the interior 
regions of the continent. They had gone from Canada, 
along the Great Lakes, and down the Illinois and Ohio 
and Mississippi Rivers ; and they wished to keep the 
English out of all that region, and not even to let them 
trade with the Indians. Moreover, the French Roman 
Catholic missionaries had converted many of the 
Indians to their form of Christianity ; and these con- 
verts naturally took the part of their priests against the 
142 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 143 

English settlers, who were almost all Protestants. 
Besides all this, the French had treated the Indians 
with more consideration than the English had showed. 
The French had adopted the Indian ways when among 
them ; and many had even married Indian wives : so 
it was natural that the native tribes should have more 
liking for the French. Yet some of the shrewder men 
among them did not love either of these nations of 
foreigners. One of them said to an English visitor, 
" You and the French are like the two edges of a pair 
of shears ; and we are the cloth which is cut to pieces 
between you." 

All this led to a series of wars which were far worse 
than the early Indian wars, because the French sup- 
plied the native tribes with much better weapons than 
they had before used, and taught them how to build 
forts in a stronger way. These wars were called by 
different names ; as. King William's War (1689), Queen 
Anne's War (1702), King George's War (1744), and, 
finally, "The Old French and Indian War" (1755 to 
1763). This last was the most important ; but the whole 
series made really one long war, sometimes pausing, 
and then beginning again, the object being to decide 
whether the French or the English should control the 
continent. 

In these wars the Indians rarely met the whites in 
open field, but trusted rather to sudden surprises, night- 
attacks, and swift marches. The chief terrors came 
upon lonely families and small villages. When the 
inhabitants were asleep, they were liable to be awak- 
ened by the sound of the Indian war-whoop, or the 
glare of houses in flames. Then the men must get 



144 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

down their loaded muskets ; and the women must take 
the bullet-moulds, and begin melting lead to make 
bullets ; or must load the guns as fast as they were 
fired. Sometimes, when the lead was gone, they picked 
the bullets of the Indians from the walls where they 
had struck, or spread blankets to collect them as they 
rattled against the chimney, and fell. Or they watched 
their opportunity to flee to the " block-house," or " gar- 
rison-house," that was often placed in or near a village. 
This was usually a small wooden fort of two stories ; 
the lower story being sunk a few feet into the ground, 
and the upper projecting a few feet beyond the lower. 
The first story was made of squared logs, as much as a 
foot and a half in diameter, though smaller logs were 
used above. There were loop-holes through which 
guns could be fired, and gratings in the roof, where 
smoke could escape. Sometimes these block-houses 
were held for many days against the Indians ; since the 
attacking-party had no cannon, and could not approach 
near enough to set the house on fire, without being 
shot down. 

When the Indians attacked by day, they selected 
houses from which the men were absent. Thus they 
approached the house of a man named Thomas Dus- 
ton in Haverhill, Mass. He was absent in the fields, 
and reached the house too late to defend his wife, who 
was ill in bed, and had her young infant with her. 
He collected seven of his children, however, and sent 
them running along the road ; then seized his gun, and 
mounted his horse, with the intention of taking up 
before him the child he loved best, and defending the 
others as he could. But he could not possibly decide 



THE P^RENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 



145 



vvnich child to take: so he hurried the Httle party 
along, loading, and firing at the Indians, who fired in 
vain at him, until he reached a place of safety a mile 
away. Meanwhile the Indians compelled Mrs. Duston 
to go with them, together with her baby and nurse and 
young boy. The baby was soon killed, as being a 




UUSTON SAVING HIS CHILDREN. 



hindrance to the march ; but the others were led for 
several days through the forest. At last, when they 
were encamped on an island in the Merrimack River, 
the prisoners discovered that they were to be put to 
death with tortures at the end of the journey, and 
resolved to save themselves. At night, when their 
captors were asleep, the three prisoners killed with 



146 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

tomahawks ten of the twelve Indians, and escaped to 
the white settlements. 

At another time the French and Indians attacked 
the town of Deerfield, in the western part of Massa- 
chusetts. It was in February, 1707. The attacking- 
party came down on snow-shoes from Canada, for the 
purpose. It consisted of both French and Indians, 
and was commanded by Hertel de Rouville, a French 
leader, who was a great terror to the colonists in those 
days. The people of the village had been warned of 
their danger, and had built a barricade around their 
houses, and kept a watch every night. One very cold 
night the sentinel went to sleep, and the poor people 
were awakened by the war-whoop. The marks of 
tomahawks are still to be seen on the door of the old 
parsonage house, which they attacked. Rev. John 
Williams, who lived there, was captured with his wife 
and six children ; and they were all carried away to 
Canada, with nearly a hundred others. It was a 
terribly cold winter. The Indians took the clothes 
from some of the captives ; and many had only a 
blanket apiece, and only moccasons on their feet. 
During all their terrible march, they had scarcely any 
food except ground-nuts and acorns. Two or three 
times only they had dog's flesh. They were compelled 
to walk twenty or thirty miles a day, carrying burdens 
for their new masters. Sometimes the children were 
treated kindly by the Indians, and were carried in their 
arms, or on rude sleds for the purpose ; but in other 
cases, when they lagged behind, they were killed with 
tomahawks. Mrs. Williams, the minister's wife, was 
also killed in this way. When the survivors reached 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 1 47 

Canada, they were sold to the French as slaves, and 
were treated with a good deal of kindness by them ; 
and Mr. Williams was redeemed, and brought back. 
He lived to write an account of his adventures, under 
the name of " The Redeemed Captive." All his chil- 
dren were brought back with him, except one little 
girl, who had been adopted into a family of Christian 
Indians, and was not allowed to leave them. She grew 
up, and married a chief, and returned to Deerfield 
several times, but would not remain ; preferring to go 
back to her Canadian wigwam and her children. 

We can easily imagine how the colonists felt toward 
the Indians, when such tales as these were talked over 
by the open fireside, in many ar lonely farm-house, 
where the children lay awake afterwards, listening for 
the Indian's war-whoop. And they felt quite as 
bitterly towards the French" missionaries in Canada, 
who were supposed to encourage the Indians in their 
attacks. Yet these French missionaries often showed 
humanity to the captives ; and, indeed, some tribes, 
under their influence, ceased to torture their prisoners. 
These Indian wars were the greatest possible inter- 
ruption to all other pursuits ; for there were times 
when one-fifth of all those capable of fighting had to 
be absent from their homes. It is no wonder that the 
colonists became almost desperate ; so that they offered 
rewards for every Indian killed, — from five to fifty 
pounds. 

It was very important to the colonists that the English 
Government should send expeditions against the French 
in Canada, to keep them busy in defending themselves. 
The colonists were always ready to take part in these 



148 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



expeditions, and sometimes led tliem. For instance, a 
party was iitted out from Marblehead, Mass., under com- 
mand of Gen. William Pepperrell, to attack the French 
fortress of Louisburg, on Cape Breton. This was the 
most important military enterprise that the colonists 
had yet undertaken. It was fitted out by the Massachu- 
setts Colony ; the men be- 
ing from Massachusetts, 
New Hampshire, and Con- 
necticut. Four thousand 
men took part, leaving their 
wives and children to plant 
their fields while they were 
gone. Louisburg was the 
strongest fortress on the 
American continent, — so 
strong, that it was called 
"The Gibraltar of North America." The attacking- 
party had but twenty-one field-pieces, and there were a 
hundred and seven cannon inside the fort ; but, after 
a siege of fifty days, Louisburg was taken from the 
French. This was in 1745. 

We must remember, that, at this time, the English 
colonies only occupied a strip of land along the 
Atlantic coast, though this strip extended for a thou- 
sand miles ; while the French held Canada and Nova 
Scotia, and claimed all the vast interior region, from 
the St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Mississippi. 
The Governor of New York wrote home to England, 
that, if the French were allowed to hold all that they 
had discovered, the kings of England would not 
"have a hundred miles from the sea anywhere." Not 




THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 



[49 



only did the French chiim all this ; but they kept busily 
at work in the interior of the country, establishing 
trading-posts, building forts, making boats on the lakes, 
and collecting the materials of war. They would not 
let the English make so much as a survey of land in 
the valley of the Ohio. So it was resolved to send a 
messen2:er to remonstrate with the French officers and 




WASHINGTON AMID THE ICE OF THE ALLEGHANY. 



agents ; and George Washington, then a young man of 
twenty-one, was appointed by the Governor of Virginia 
for that purpose. This was in October, 1753. 

Washington had to travel through the almost un- 
broken forest, and to meet many perils ; and he accom- 
plished nothing by his appeals. His return was in the 
dead of winter, and harder and more perilous than his 



150 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

journey westward. Much of the journey was through 
forests which no white man had ever traversed ; and he 
had to cross rivers on the ice, or else, amidst floating 
ice, on hastily constructed rafts. Crossing the Alleghany 
River in this way, his raft was entirely hemmed in by the 
ice, his " setting-pole " was whirled from his hand by the 
swift current, and he himself was thrown into the water. 
Finally he and his companion left the raft, and took 
refuge on an island in the river, where they staid till 
daylight, soaked with water, and almost frozen. In 
the morning they succeeded in crossing the ice to the 
shore, and at last got safely home. After all Wash- 
ington's efforts, the French went on building forts 
with as much energy as ever, till they finally had a 
chain of sixty, stretching from Quebec to New Orleans, 
and securing to them, as they thought, all the interior 
of the continent. 

It happened very fortunately for the colonists that 
the powerful Iroquois tribes, who lived west of the 
Hudson River, had long been their friends, and hostile 
to the French. These tribes were called the " Five 
Nations: " they were the Cayugas, Mohawks, Oneidas, 
Onondagas, and Senecas. After a while they were 
joined by the Tuscaroras, and were called the "Six 
Nations." The names of these tribes are likely to be 
remembered, because some lake or river in New York 
is named after each of them. And they ought to be 
remembered with gratitude ; for their friendship was of 
great importance to the English colonists. In 1754 
the English Government instructed the governor of the 
colonies to call a convention of delegates at Albany, 
to make a treaty with these " Six Nations," and to 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 



151 



form a union for self-defence against the French. 
There had been several attempts at such union before, 
but without much success. 

Albany was then a little Dutch town of only three 
hundred houses, protected by the Hudson River on 
one side, and by a line of picket-fence on the other: 
it had also a stone fort. At this place the twenty-five 
delegates from the different colonies met a hundred 
and fifty Indian chiefs, and made a treaty with them, 
though the Indians reproached them for not being so 
warlike as the French, and for not building forts every- 
where like them. Then Dr. Benjamin Franklin pro- 
posed to the delegates a plan of 
union. Before he left home, he 
had printed in his newspaper at 
Philadelphia a woodcut repre- 
senting a snake cut into separate 
pieces to represent the colonies ; 
each piece having upon it the 
initial letter of the name of some 
colony, and the inscription appearing beneath, "Unite 
or die." This design was afterwards used as a flag. 
Dr. Franklin told the convention that the French, being 
under one government, were much more powerful than 
the thirteen English separate colonies, all jealous of one 
another. Under his lead, the convention agreed upon 
a plan of union ; but the colonies afterwards rejected 
it. They were not quite ready for union yet. Still 
they agreed sufficiently to carry on the Old French 
War, with great vigor for nine years; and it ended in 
accomplishing all they desire^l. 

One of the first steps in this war was a very cruel act. 




152 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

There was a French province called Acadia, now Nova 
Scotia ; and this was occupied by the English at the 
beginning of the war, in 1755. The French inhabitants 
would not take the oath of allegiance to England ; and 
so the New England soldiers were sent by the English 
Government to remove the Acadians from their coun- 
try. In some villages the men were all summoned 
into the church to hear a royal proclamation. There 
they found themselves prisoners ; and they were then 
marched to the seashore. Seven thousand people were 
thus sent from their homes, and scattered through the 
colonies. To prevent their returning, their houses were 
burned, and their farms laid waste. In many cases 
families were separated in the confusion of embarking ; 
and members of the same family were long lost to 
one another. Longfellow's poem of "Evangeline" is 
founded upon this sad event. 

Meantime, in Virginia, war was beginning in earnest. 
When Washington went west to remonstrate with the 
French officers, he selected a place which he thought 
would be very good for an English fort. It was just 
where Pittsburg now stands, at the point where the 
Alleghany and Monongahela unite to form the Ohio. 
The government sent an expedition, and began to build 
the fort. They thought, that, as there were so many 
French forts in that region, there should be a few for 
the English also. But this was just what the French 
did not wish : so they drove the workmen away, finished 
the fort themselves, and called it Fort Du Quesne. 
Washington carried on war against the French and Indi- 
ans for a time, with the Virginia soldiers who had been 
placed under hisi command: but he was not quite 



THE FREN'CH AND INDIAN WARS. 153 

strong enough to attack this important post; and so 
a veteran English army was sent out under General 
Braddock ; and Washington went with him as one of 
his staff-otTficers. The Enghsh general knew nothing 
about Indian warfare, and would take advice from no 
one. He marched slowly through the forests, building 
roads as he went, and spending several months on the 
way. As he drew near the fort, Washington urged him 
to place the American companies in front, for the 
purpose of clearing the woods of Indians. He ex- 
plained that these provincial soldiers were used to 
dealing with Indians ; while the red-coats were only 
accustomed to regular warfare, and to fighting in the 
open field. Braddock refused to listen to the advice, 
but marched on in regular military order, with flags 
flying, music playing, and the men presenting a fine 
appearance. The army was within seven miles of the 
fort, when the advanced guard was attacked by Indians, 
in a deep ravine, and was thrown into complete confu- 
sion. The Virginia riflemen fought from behind trees ; 
but the regular troops crowded together, and were shot 
down. The fight lasted three hours. It ended in a dis- 
orderly retreat of the British troops, more than seven 
hundred of whom were killed out of twelve hundred. 
General Braddock showed great courage, but was at 
last mortally wounded ; and every one of his officers 
was killed or wounded, except Washington, who had 
two horses killed under him, and had four balls through 
his coat. Washington was almost prostrated by illness 
that day, but took an active part in the battle, and had 
the command after Braddock fell. An old Indian chief 
said afterwards, that he and his "voung braves " had 



154 YOUNC, FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

fired very often at that tall young American, and had 
decided that he must bear a charmed life. 

Braddock's defeat took place July 9, 1755. It made 
the greatest excitement throughout the colonies and in 
England ; and its consequences were very important. 
The French were left in possession, for the time, of all 
the region west of the Alleghanies ; and the Indians 
began to despise the English, to reverence the French, 
and to make new attacks upon the colonists. All 
through the western parts of Virginia, especially, there 
were scenes of massacre and fire; and family after 
family had to flee for their lives. Washington, who 
was in command of the Virginia forces, wrote, that 
"the supplicating tears of women, and the moving 
petitions of the men, melted him with deadly sorrow." 
He had to meet swift and stealthy enemies, who came 
and went in the night, and were only to be tracked by 
the ruin they had left behind them. 

The Indians were told by their French allies that the 
time had come to drive the English forever from their 
settlements. But the colonists resisted desperately ; 
and, three years after, Washington himself was sent 
against Fort Du Quesne, and took it at last. It was 
this distinguished military career that fitted Washing- 
ton to take part in the war of the Revolution, which 
was fast approaching. Braddock's defeat had, more- 
over, taught the colonists that the red-coats were not 
invincible, but would run away as fast as anybody, if 
met by greater numbers or greater skill. 

Several important forts were taken from the French 
during this war, such as Niagara, Ticonderoga, and 
Crown Point ; but the most important event was the 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 1 55 

famous expedition against Quebec. General Wc'Tj was 
sent from England to command this attack, and had 
eight thousand men with him ; for Quebec was one of 
the strongest fortresses in the world. He was at first 
repulsed at every point. At last he discovered a steep 
and narrow path which led up to the Heights of Abra- 
ham, above the city ; and he resolved to climb it with 
his men. So he sent Captain Cook (afterwards so 
famous as a navigator) to make a pretended attack in 
another place ; and Wolfe went with boats to this path 
he had discovered. As he was rowed along in his boat, 
he spoke to his officers of Gray's " Elegy in a Country 
Churchyard," and said that he would rather have writ- 
ten that poem than take Quebec. Then he repeated 
the lines : — 

" The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 

And all that beaut}% all that wealth, e'er gave. 
Await alike the inevitable hour : 

The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 

Then they landed, climbed the steep ; and, in the morn- 
ing of Sept. 13, 1759, General Montcalm, the French 
commander, was amazed to see an army above him. If 
he had even then remained in his fortress, the English 
could not have taken it ; but he chose to come out and 
fight them on the open ground, and was defeated. The 
English were victorious ; but General Wolfe died in the 
hour of victory. Hearing the shouts, " They fly ; they 
fly ! " he asked, " Who fly ? " Hearing it was the French, 
he said, " Now God be praised : I die happy." General 
Montcalm was also mortally wounded, and, when told 
of his condition, said, " So much the better. I shall 
not live to see the surrender of Quebec." 



156 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

Quebec was surrendered five days later ; and a peace 
was made in 1763, by which France gave up Canada to 
England, with all her American possessions east of the 
Mississippi, except some fishing-stations near New- 
foundland. At the same time France gave up to Spain 
all her claims to the vast territory west of the Missis- 
sippi. It was supposed that all the Indian tribes 
would at once submit to the English power, and would 
show the same friendship that they had formerly 
shown to the French. But unfortunately the Indians 
were not willing to submit so easily; and the flames of 
battle were to be rekindled once more before the great 
series of French and Indian wars ended. 

There was an Indian chief named Pontiac, a man 
of great courage, skill, and influence. He had led the 
Ottawa tribe at the time of Braddock's defeat, and had 
seen the red-coats run away before his men. He 
believed, that, if the Indian tribes could be united for 
one more effort, they might yet expel the English from 
the interior of the country, at least. The French 
inhabitants of Canada secretly encouraged these 
thoughts, and told the Indians that the King of 
France had been asleep for a time, and that the Eng- 
lish had therefore triumphed, but that he would soon 
wake up, and " drive the intruders from the country of 
his red children." Pontiac heard all this eagerly. " I 
am a Frenchman," he said, "and will die a French- 
man ! " He sent ambassadors through the country, 
each with a belt of wampum (red or black beads, sig- 
nifying war), and a tomahawk stained red. In each 
village the belt was accepted, the tomahawk taken up, 
and the chiefs agreed to join in the war. Afterwards a 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 157 

council was held ; and they agreed to attack the fort of 
Detroit, under Pontiac's lead. 

This was Pontiac's plan : he would go some day to 
the fort, with thirty or forty men, and ask leave to 
come in and show an Indian dance. While they were 
dancing, a few would stroll about the fort, unnoticed, 
and observe every thing within the walls. Then they 
would again visit the fort, ask to hold a council, carry 
weapons under their blankets, and at a given signal 
strike down the white officers. The first part of the 
plan succeeded ; but the second failed. A warning 
was given by some Indian women to the English com- 
mander ; and when Pontiac entered the fort with his 
fifty warriors, each carrying his gun under his blanket, 
they found ranks of armed soldiers drawn up within. 
They saw that their plan had failed, and were glad to 
be allowed to go out unharmed. 

After this, Pontiac collected his allies, and laid siege 
to Detroit for many weeks in 1763. It was the longest 
siege ev^er conducted by Indians ; for they commonly 
relied on swift and sudden movements ; but it failed at 
last, although several other forts were captured by Indi- 
ans during this siege. At Michillimackinac, for in- 
stance, on a holiday, several hundred unarmed Indians 
played a game of ball outside the fort, and invited 
the soldiers out to see them play, while their squaws 
stood wrapped in their blankets, watching the game. 
Suddenly the ball was struck, so that it fell near the 
gate of the fort. The warriors pursued it ; but, on the 
way, each, snatched one of the hatchets that had been 
concealed by the women beneath their blankets, then 
rushed into the fort, and began striking down the gar- 



158 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

rison. Scarcely twenty men escaped. Thus, in one 
way or another, almost every fort in the region of the 
lakes was retaken by the Indians from the English. 
Detroit, however, held out with great courage ; but the 
garrison had become almost exhausted by famine, when, 
at the approach of winter, the Indians gradually scat- 
tered, and gave up the siege after five months. Noth- 
ing but the remarkable power and energy of Pontiac 
could have carried it on so long. He was at last com- 
pelled to make peace with the English, and was after- 
wards murdered by another Indian in a drunken frolic. 
This was the end of the long series of French and Indi- 
an wars ; and the English colonists were now to have 
a little rest, until the beginning of their own Revo- 
lution. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 

I HAVE thus described the early history of the 
thirteen original colonies, — " the old thirteen," as 
they were often called. These were New Hampshire, 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Vir- 
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 
All the rest of the present States were made from 
these, or from territory added to these ; so that the 
history of the country down to the Revolution is the 
history of these thirteen colonies. 

It is easy to see that each of the thirteen had 
something peculiar in its history to distinguish it 
from the rest. To begin with, they were established 
by several different nations. Most of them, it is true, 
v/ere founded by Englishmen ; but New York and 
New Jersey were settled by the Dutch, and Dela- 
ware by the Swedes ; while the Carolinas were first 
explored and named by a French colony. Most of 
them were founded by small parties of settlers, among 
whom no great distinctions of rank existed ; but two of 
them, Pennsylvania and Maryland, were founded by 
a single proprietor in each case, who owned the whole 
soil ; while New York had its " patroons," or large 

159 



l6o YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

landholders with tenants under them. Most of them 
were founded by those who fled from religious persecu- 
tion in Europe ; yet one of them, Rhode Island, was 
made up largely from those persecuted in another col- 
ony ; and another, Maryland, was founded by Roman 
Catholics. Some had charter governments ; some had 
royal governments without charters ; and others were 
governed by the original proprietors, or those who rep- 
resented them. 

But, however differently the thirteen colonies may 
have been founded or governed, they were all alike in 
some things. For instance, they all had something of 
local self-government ; that is, each community, to a 
greater or less extent, made and administered its own 
laws. Moreover, they all became subject to Great 
Britain at last, even if they had not been first settled by 
Englishmen ; and, finally, they all grew gradually dis- 
contented with the British Government, because they 
thought themselves ill treated. This discontent made 
them at last separate themselves from England, and 
form a complete union with one another. But this was 
not accomplished without a war, — the war commonly 
called the American Revolution. 

When we think about the Revolutionary War, we are 
very apt to suppose that the colonies deliberately 
came together, and resolved to throw ofif the yoke of 
Great Britain. But this was not the case at all. When 
the troubles began, most of the people supposed them- 
selves to be very loyal ; and they were ready to shout, 
" God save King George ! " Even after they had raised 
armies, and had begun to fight, the Continental Con- 
gress said, " We have not raised armies with the ambi- 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. l6l 

tious design of separating from Great Britain, and 
establishing independent States." Tliey would have 
been perfectly satisfied to go on as they were, if the 
British Government had only treated them in a manner 
they thought just ; that is, if Great Britain either had 
not taxed them, or had let them send representatives to 
parliament in return for paying taxes. This wish was 
considered perfectly reasonable by many of the wisest 
Englishmen of that day ; and these statesmen would 
have gladly consented to either of these measures. 
But King George III. and his advisers would not con- 
sent ; and so they not only lost the opportunity of 
taxing the American colonies, but finally lost the colo- 
nies themselves. 

There were some reasons why it seemed just that 
the Americans should be taxed. The debt of the 
British Government was very great, and part of this 
debt had been incurred in defending the American 
colonies from the French and Indians. So it seemed 
fair that these colonies should help to pay it ; and 
probably they would not have objected, if they had 
been represented in the British Government, so that 
they could at least have had a voice in deciding what 
their taxes should be. But this was not allowed ; and 
so when thefamous " Stamp Act " was passed, in 1765, 
the popular indignation was very great. 

There was nothing very bad about the law called the 
"Stamp Act," in itself ; and Englishmen would not have 
complained of it at home. This famous act required 
only that all deeds and receipts, and other legal docu- 
ments, should be written or printed on stamped paper, 
and that this paper should be sold by the tax-collectors ; 



i62 YouNc; folks' united states. 

the money going to the government. It was such a law 
as has always existed in England ; and, indeed, taxes 
have since been imposed in a similar way in America. 
The colonists objected to it only because it involved a 
principle. No matter how trifling the tax might be, 
they objected to it. They said the British Government 
had no right to put this or any other tax upon them, 
when they were not represented in the government. 
" No taxation without representation " was a phrase 
constant!}' heard in the colonies in those days ; and the 
excitement about the Stamp Act was the real beginning 
of the Revolutionary War. 

Even in the British parliament, when the Stamp Act 
was being discussed, there were persons who had been 
in America, and who declared that the imposed law was 
very unjust. The member to whom the people of 
America felt most grateful was Colonel Barre, who had 
fought under General Wolfe at the taking of Quebec. 
Mr. Charles Townshend had one day said in a speech, 
"Will these Americans, children planted by our 
care, nourished by our indulgence, till they are grown 
up to strength and opulence, and protected by our 
arms, — will they grudge to contribute their mite to 
relieve us from the weight of that heavy burden under 
which we lie ? " 

" They planted by your care ? " replied Colonel Barre. 
" No, they were planted by your oppression. . . . 
They nourished by your indulgence ? They grew up 
by your neglect. . . . They protected by your arms ? 
They have nobly taken up arms in your defence. . . . 
They are, I believe, as truly loyal as any subjects the 
king has, but a people jealous of their liberties, and 



THE BEGINNING OF THE RZVOLUTIOX. 



i6- 



who will vindicate them, if ever they should be vio- 
lated." 

This bold speech by Colonel Bane made a great 
excitement. It was at once sent to America, in a let- 
ter, and was reprinted by all the newspapers. Every 
schoolboy learned to declaim it. Nevertheless, almost 
everybody in England supposed that the Stamp Act 




PATRICK HENRY MAKING HIS GREAT SPEECH. 

would go peacefully into effect ; and indeed it seemed 
doubtful, for a time, whether the colonies would not 
submit. The first sign of opposition was given in Vir- 
ginia. In the Virginia Assembly, in May, 1765, a young 
lawyer named Patrick Henry offered resolutions, de- 
claring that no power but the General Assembly of the 
colony had the right to levy taxes upon it, and that to 



164 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

allow such power in any other body was to destroy all 
freedom. In his speech he said, " Caesar had his 
Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the 
Third " — " Treason ! " cried the speaker of the As- 
sembly, interrupting him ; and the cry of "Treason ! " 
rang through the hall. Patrick Henry looked sternly 
round, and finished his sentence, — " may profit by their 
example. If that be treason, make the most of it." 
Then his resolutions were adopted by a small majority ; 
all the younger members being with him. Thus Vir- 
ginia gave the signal of resistance for the colonies. 

This example was quickly followed. In Massachu- 
setts, James Otis proposed that an " American Con- 
gress " should be called, which should come together 
without asking the consent of the British Government. 
Others took up the plan, and proposed that American 
liberties should be left " to the watchfulness of a united 
continent." The Congress met in October, 1765 ; and, 
though only nine of the thirteen colonies sent delegates, 
it did great good to their cause. This Congress drew up 
a " Declaration of Rights," and a petition to the king. 
All over the country the merchants agreed not to buy 
British goods ; and men and women promised to wear 
homespun clothes, and go without all imported things, 
in order to show that they were not dependent on Eng- 
land. One patriotic woman, Mrs. Gushing, wrote to 
her friends, " I hope there are none of us but would 
sooner wrap ourselves in sheep and goat skins than 
buy English goods of a people who have insulted us in 
such a scandalous manner." 

Then there were still more violent proceedings. In 
Boston, one morning, the people saw an effigy of 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 1 65 

Andrew Oliver, the newly appointed agent for stamped 
paper, hanging on a great elm, afterward called " Lib- 
erty Tree." Chief Justice Hutchinson ordered the 
sheriff to take it down ; but the people said, " We will 
take it down ourselves at evening." In the evening a 
great crowd collected, took down the image, carried 
it through the streets, and burnt it before Andrew 
Oliver's door. Then they grew so excited, that they 
tore down Oliver's house, and destroyed the contents 
of the house of Chief Justice Hutchinson. In Mary- 
land, also, a mob destroyed the house of the stamp- 
officer. In Rhode Island they destroyed the houses of 
two men who had favored the Stamp Act, and they 
compelled the stamp-officer to resign. In Connecticut 
nearly a thousand men set off on horseback, and 
hunted the stamp-officer till they caught him, and made 
him promise to resign, and to fling up his hat, and 
cry, ''Liberty and Property!" three times. In New 
York the people burnt the governor in effigy, after 
drag-sins: the ima^e through the town in one of his own 
chariots. Similar things happened in other States ; so 
that nobody dared to act as stamp-officer, and the law 
was never enforced. The news went quickly to Eng- 
land; and, while the king and his ministers were 
enraged, there were many in parliament to defend the 
cause of the Americans. The venerable William Pitt, 
Earl of Chatham, said, "The gentleman tells us that 
America is obstinate ; America is almost in open re- 
bellion. I rejoice that America has resisted^ 

By the strong efforts of such men as Lord Chatham, 
the Stamp Act was repealed in just a year from its 
passage ; although another act was passed, declaring 



i66 YOUNG folks' united states. 

that parliament had a perfect right " to bind the 
colonies in all cases whatsoever." Then there was 
great rejoicing. In Boston the bells were rung, flags, 
were displayed everywhere, and prisoners for debt were 
released to share in the general joy. At night the 
houses were illuminated, and Liberty Tree was covered 
with lanterns till its boughs could hold no more. For 
some years nothing more was said about taxes. But, a 
few years after this repeal, another act was passed, 
laying taxes on glass, paper, tea, and pther articles. 
This roused new indignation ; and troops were stationed 
in New York and Boston in the hope to keep the peo- 
ple quiet. But the effect was just the other way. In 
New York the solJiers cut down the liberty-pole, 
which had been raised when the Stamp Act was re- 
pealed ; but the people put it up again, and yet again, 
the soldiers cutting it down each time. 

In Boston the troops made themselves still more un- 
popular. There was soon a quarrel between them and 
the boys ; for the soldiers used to beat down the snow- 
hills that the boys had heaped up on the Common. 
After appealing in vain to the captain, the boys finally 
went to Governor Gige, and complained. "What ! " he 
said, " have your fathers been teaching you rebellion, 
and sent you here to exhibit it.'"' — " Nobody sent us, 
sir," said one of the bovs. " We have never injured 
nor insulted your troops ; but they have trodden down 
our snow-hills, and broken the ice on our skating- 
ground. We complained ; and they called us ' young 
rebels,' and told us to help ourselves if we could. We 
told the captains ot this ; and they laughed at us. Yes- 
terday our works were destroyed the third time ; and we 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 



167 



will bear it no longer." The governor said with sur- 
prise, to one of his officers, " The very children here 
draw in a love of liberty with the air they breathe. You 
may go, my brave boys, and be assured, if my troops 
trouble you again, they shall be punished." 

But the British troops in Boston very soon got into 
more serious trouble. The voung men of the town 




:neral (;age and the boston bovs. 



used often to insult the red-coated soldiers, calling 
them " lobsters," " bloody-backs," and such names, and 
threatening to drive them from the town. On the 
other hand, the soldiers used to be allowed, by their 
officers, to stray about the town in the evening, car- 
rying their guns, and without any proper nuthority 
\o control them. One moonlight evening (March 5, 



i68 YOUNG folks' united states. 

1770), some soldiers were going about in this way, and 
got into a quarrel, as they often did. As they were 
taunting the people, and calling, " Where are they? 
Where are the cowards ? "' some boys began to snow- 
ball them, crying, " Down with them ! Drive them to 
their barracks ! " The noise increased, until the guard 
was called out, commanded by Captain Preston. He 




PEOPLE ATTACKING THE SOLDIERS IN BOSTON. 

came roughly through the crowd, with six or eight men, 
whom he drew up in line. Many of the people fell 
back : but about a dozen men, some of whom had 
sticks, advanced to meet the soldiers, called insultingly 
to them ; and some, it was said, struck at the muskets 
with sticks. The noise increased every moment, till 
at last Captain Preston gave the word, " Fire ! " When 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 169 

the smoke had cleared away, there were eleven men 
stretched upon the ground, of whom eight were 
wounded, and three killed. Among these last was 
Crispus Attucks, a mulatto, and the leader of the 
mob. This affair made an intense excitement ; and 
Captain Preston was tried for murder. But some of 
the leading lawyers of Boston, who were also eminent 
patriots, defended him, on the ground that he had 
done his duty as an officer ; and he was acquitted. 
The public indignation was, however, so great over the 
whole affair, that the two regiments of troops were soon 
removed to the barracks at Castle William, and were 
not allowed to stray about the streets. But this blood- 
shed never was forgotten ; and the " Boston Massacre " 
was another step towards the Revolutionary War. 

Very soon another step was taken, on the shores of 
Narragaflsett Bay. An armed British schooner, the 
" Gaspee," had been stationed in that bay to look out 
for smugglers. The duty was discharged by the com- 
mander with needless severity ; and he and his vessel 
became very unpopular. It was believed that they 
went far beyond any authority the law gave them. 
One day (June lo, 1772^), a packet-boat left Newport 
for Providence, without notifying Lieutenant Dudings- 
ton of the " Gaspee ; " and he pursued the packet more 
than twenty miles, and then ran hard aground on 
Narragansett Point, seven miles below Providence. 
'l"he news soon spread through town, that the hated 
vessel was aground near by, and that she must lie 
there until high tide, which would be early in the 
morning. Soon a drummer went through the streets, 
calling all men who would help destroy the " Gaspee," 



lyo 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



to meet at a certain tavern after sunset. At half-past 
nine, eight large boats filled with men, and with 
muffled oars, were seen gliding down the bay. They 
approached the " Gaspee " at midnight. It was very 
dark ; and the alarm was hardly given, when the 
Rhode-Island men had boarded the schooner, over- 
powered the crew, and tied their hands. They were put 




DESTRUCTION OF THE GASPEE. 



on shore ; and tiie schooner was set on fire, and utterly 
destroyed. The boats went home in broad daylight. 
Almost every one in Providence knew what had hap- 
pened ; and yet, though a reward of a thousand 
pounds was offered to anybody who would give infor- 
mation against the offenders, no information was 
ever given, and nobody was ever brought to trial. 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 171 

Meantime the news went through all the colonies that 
the " Gaspee " was destroyed ; that the British Govern- 
inent pronounced its destruction an act of high 
treason ; and yet, that, with all its power, it could not 
reach one of the offenders. Through all the colonies 
the excitement went on increasing ; and men felt more 
and more disposed to resist what they thought the 
unlawful acts of King George and his ministry. 

Meanwhile the people everywhere were learning to 
go without those articles on which taxes were laid. 
They wore homespun clothes, instead of importing the 
goods. They also tried various experiments in making 
tea ; using raspberry-leaves for that purpose, and sage, 
and other plants, some of which still bear the names 
of "Jersey tea" and "Labrador tea." So strong was 
the popular feeling, that the British Government finally 
decided to abandon all the other taxes, but to insist on 
that laid on tea. Some large shiploads of it were 
therefore sent, in hopes that the people would every- 
where be induced to pay the tax. " The king," said 
Lord North proudly, " means to try the question with 
America." But the people seemed determined to try 
the question with England also ; for they were re- 
solved that the tea should not be landed. In Boston, 
when the tea-ships had arrived, the " Committee of 
Correspondence " set a guard over them as they lay at 
the wharf ; and people from all parts of the country 
promised to sustain the Bostonians, and implored 
them " to stand by the liberties of America." They 
hoped to get the tea sent peaceably back to London ; 
and, when this proved impossible, a meeting of seven 
thousand people, the largest ever held up to that time in 



172 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 




Boston, took place in Faneuil Hall, and then adjourned 

to the Old South 



Church in order 
to have more 
room. The own- 
er of one of the 
tea ships was 
sent to the royal 
governor, Hutch- 
inson, to ask his 
leave to send the 
vessels back to 
England with 
rANKiiL HAM. IN 1763. thclr cargocs; 

and, when he returned with the answer that the gov- 
ernor refused the request, Samuel Adams rose, and 
said, " This meeting 
can do nothing more 
to save the country." 
Then a war-whoop was 
heard at the porch : a 
body of forty or fifty 
men, disguised as In- 
dians, went by to the 
wharf, took possession 
of the three tea-ships, 
and threw three hun- 
dred and forty chests 
of tea into the water. 
Then they quietly dis- 
persed, and did no 
other mischief whatever. This was called " the Boston 
tea-party," and it took place Dec. 16, 1773. 




SAMUEL ADAMS. 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 1 73 

New York and Philadelphia followed the example of 
Boston ; but they did not have occasion to throw the tea 
into the water, for the captains of the ships readily con- 
sented to return to London immediately. In Charles- 
ton the tea was landed : but no one would take it for 
sale, or pay the duty ; and meanwhile it was stored in 
damp cellars, where it was spoiled. In Annapolis the 
tea was burned. All these things excited the people 
very much, and made the colonies more and more ready 
to unite in resisting England. The first Continental 
Congress had met before this, and there was soon to be 
another. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, which seemed in 
greater danger of attack than any other State, there was 
also a Provincial Congress created ; and under its direc- 
tion military stores were collected at various points. 
There were also " minute men " drilling under old sol- 
diers who had fought in the " French and Indian War." 
There were also organizations called " Sons of Lib- 
erty," in Massachusetts and several other colonies ; 
and in Rhode Island there were associations of women 
called " Daughters of Liberty." 

In the mean time King George and his ministers 
grew very angry at the conduct of the Americans, and 
especially of the people of Massachusetts. So they 
passed several severe laws, abolished the Boston town- 
meetings, placed troops in the town, and ordered that 
all persons accused of any offence should be taken 
elsewhere for trial. But the severest of these measures 
was the Boston Port Bill, of which one speaker in par- 
liament said that it ought to be called " A Bill to 
enslave America." This law closed the port of Bos- 
ton ; that is, it forbade all vessels from going in or 



174 YOUNG FOLKS UN'ITED STATES. 

out, unless they brought wod or provisions. Any 
vessels bringing these things to Boston must sail first 
to the port of Marblehead, thirty miles olif ; must be 
entered there at the custom-house ; and must take on 
board a custom-house officer, who would come to Bos- 
ton in the vessel. This cut off all the water-communi- 
cation of the country-towns with Boston, unless it 
went round by way of Marblehead. Not a stick of 
wood could be brought in from any of the islands in the 
harbor ; nor could a barrel of flour be brought in a 
row-boat from Cambridge ; nor so much as a shingle 
or a brick be taken from one wharf to another in a 
skiff or a scow. As commerce w,;s then the chief 
business of the Bostonians, this stopped a large part 
of the industry of the place. 

Of course, the sympathy of other towns, and even of 
the other colonies, was at once excited. So a great 
variety of gifts began to be sent into the suffering 
town, — grain from Groton, and salt fish from Marble- 
head, and a ilock of two hundred and fifty sheep from 
Windham, Conn. The southern colonies sent flour 
and rice ; and the middle colonies sent corn and iron ; 
and many towns sent money for the poor ; so that the 
effect of the Boston Port Bill was entirely different 
from what the British Government expected. They 
thought that it would probably frighten the colonies, 
and make them fall apart. Instead of this, it made 
them unite more firmly, and take up the cause of 
Boston as their own. 

This was just what the wisest men in the British 
parliament, such as Edmund Burke and Charles James 
Fox, had predicted. They had warned the government 



THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 1 75 

that the American people would be driven into open 
rebellion by such measures. But King George was a 
verv obstinate man, and used all his influence in par- 
liament to push such laws through. The result was as 
Burke and Fox had said. The Boston Port Bill helped 
to make the scattered colonies into a nation. The day 
when the law took effect (June i, 1774) was observed 
in Hartford, Conn., as a day of public mourning. The 
town-house was hung with black ; a copy of the bill 
was posted on it ; and the bells were tolled all day. 
Even so far oif as .Virginia, the legislature, or " House 
of Burgesses," attended a solemn religious service on 
the occasion, and heard a patriotic sermon from the 
chaplam. 

If we could have entered Boston during the summer 
of 1774, vfe should have found ourselves on a peninsula 
much smaller than the present Boston, and protected 
by earthworks across the " Neck," where a guard was 
stationed. We should have seen the wharves almost 
deserted, and only British men-of-war lying in the 
harbor. We should have found the laborers of the 
town mainly idle, or at work on the street-pavements 
or the public brick-yards. We should have seen the 
poorer families fed by contributions sent from other 
towns or colonies. We should have observed cannon 
mounted on the heights, tents pitched on the Common, 
and companies of r-ed-coated soldiers marching through 
the streets. We should have heard of private meetings 
of patriotic citizens, under the name of " clubs," almost 
every night. In these meetings, usually held in gar- 
rets and lofts, we should have seen plenty of tobacco- 
smoke, and people drinking punch or flip, perhaps, 



176 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

after the fashion of those times, and discussing plans 
of resistance, and news from other parts of the coun- 
try ; for in those days every man wlio had an impor- 
tant letter from any other colony, or from the Conti- 
nental Congress, then in session at Philadelphia, would 
bring it to the meeting to read aloud. One would rise 
up, and say, "John Adams writes that there is a great 
spirit in the Congress, and that we must furnish our- 
selves with artillery and arms and ammunition, but 
avoid w^ar, if possible, if possible ! " Another would 
say, "The great Virginia orator,^ Patrick Henry, on 
being told that Major Hawley of Northampton said, 
'We must fight,' answered, ' I am of that man's mind.'" 
Then another man woukl call out that he had been to 
see the British fortifications on the Neck, with some 
old soldiers who had fought at Louisburg, and that 
they had laughed at these earthworks, and said that 
" they would care for them no more than for a beaver- 
dam." Then we can imagine what shouts of laughter 
there would be in the old smoky room, and what cheers 
would be given for Patrick Henry and John Adams 
and the old Louisburg soldiers. 

Then we must remember that there were other men, 
and often good men, too, who felt very sad about all 
this, and who thought that it was very wrong to resist 
King George, and that it would ruin the colonies even 
to attempt such a thing ; and who tried, with tears in 
their eyes, to persuade the patriots to listen to reason. 
These were generally the rich and prosperous men, and 
those who held offices under the British Government ; 
in short, the people who had most to lose by war in 
any case. These men were called Tories in those 
days, and grew more and more unpopular. Some of 



THE KEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION. 1 77 

them afterwards changed their opinions, and became 
patriots : others left the United Colonies, and went to 
those British Provinces which had refused to take part 
in the Revolution, especially to Nova Scotia. Some 
finally fought against their country in the royal armies. 
But for a time they only discouraged the revolutionists 
by pointing out all the evils that would follow their 
"mad attempt," as they called it. The Tories said, 
and with truth, that King George would not change his 
policy, and that more and more troops would be sent 
from England. They pointed out that these would be 
trained troops, and that the colonies had only raw 
militiamen to put against them. 

To this the colonists answered, that there were now 
two million Americans, perhaps three millions, and 
that one-fifth were fighting-men. They said that many 
of these were trained in Indian warfare, and some had 
helped take Louisburg and Quebec. Moreover, in 
Braddock's expedition, they had seen the red-coats run 
for their lives before the French and Indians, when the 
Virginia riflemen stood their ground ; each man taking 
to a tree, and exchanging shot for shot. As for officers, 
did King George suppose that General Putnam, who 
had been tied to a tree by Indians, and had seen the 
fire blaze up around him, without flinching, was likely to 
flinch before English muskets } Had not young Colonel 
Washington saved Braddock's army from total destruc- 
tion, and afterwards taken Fort Du Quesne, which 
Braddock could not take ? This is the way the patriots 
talked in those days ; perhaps ending with the words 
of the brave Dr. Warren, " The contest may be severe : 
the end will be g-lorious." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 

IN the midst of all this excitement, General Gage, the 
royal governor, called the legislature of Massachu- 
setts together, and then, changing his mind, dissolved 
it, before it had met, by a proclamation dated Sept. 28, 
1774. Upon this, all the members elected to the legis- 
lature came together, by agreement, without asking his 
leave, and organized themselves as a Provincial Con- 
gress. They at once began to get the militia into good 
working-order ; and a quarter of the militiamen were 
called " minute-men," and were bound to assemble at 
the very shortest notice. Then the Provincial Congress 
saw to the collecting of arms and ammunition, and 
stored these at Concord and Worcester ; and, in short, 
the governor found himself in more trouble than if he 
had allowed the legislature to meet. Meanwhile Brit- 
ish troops kept arriving in Boston ; and General Gage 
kept sending out spies in disguise, to find where the 
military stores of the patriots were deposited ; and they, 
in turn, kept careful watch on his movements, lest he 
should send out to capture these same stores. It was 
agreed that a special watch should be kept at Charles- 
town, and that, if it was known at any time that a large 
force was preparing to go out of Boston at night, a 
17S 



CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 179 

lantern should be hung out from the North Church, by 
way of signal. 

One night the watchers on the Charlestown side of 
Charles River saw the lantern gleaming in the steeple. 
Instantly all were in motion ; and messengers went rid- 
ing in all directions. Other messengers had meanwhile 
been sent across in boats from Boston ; and one of 
these, named Paul Revere, mounted a horse immediately 
after landing, and galloped out to Medford, to a house 
where the patriotic leaders, John Hancock and Samuel 
Adams, were sleeping. 

" Do not make so much noise," said the soldier on 
guard before the house. 

" Noise ! " said Paul Revere. " You'll have noise 
enough before long. I'he regulars are coming out." 
So he galloped on from house to house, awakening all 
the principal farmers ; and we may well suppose that 
there was no more sleep in any house that night, after 
Paul Revere had passed by. 

Meantime some eight hundred British soldiers, em- 
barking in boats at the foot of Boston Common, crossed 
to what is now East Cambridge. They marched 
silently along the marshes ; when suddenly the bells of 
the country-towns began to ring, and it was plain that 
the alarm had been given. Paul Revere and the other 
scouts had done their work well. The commanding 
officer of the British then sent back for more troops ; 
and Major Pitcairn was sent forward with two or three 
hundred infantry, having orders to secure the two 
bridges at Concord. But when Pitcairn passed through 
Lexington, at four in the morning, April 19, 1775, he 
found sixty or seventy militia collected on the green, 
commanded by Capt. Isaac Parker. 



l8o YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

" Ye villains, ye rebels, disperse ! " cried the Eng- 
lish officer. " Why don't ye lay down your arms ? " 

Then the British soldiers fired ; and the Americans 
fired in return, but did little damage. Eight of the 
Americans were killed, and ten wounded ; and this was 
the first blood shed in the Revolutionary War. 

After this the British, or " regulars," marched on to- 
wards Concord, giving three huzzas. By this time the 
main body had come up, and joined them. While this 
went on, the Concord people were removing their mili- 
tary stores to the woods for safety. Then the minute- 
men, who had been hurrying towards Concord, — to 
the number of about four hundred and fifty in all, — 
took up a position on the high ground near what is 
called the " North Bridge," which is just out of the vil- 
lage. They could see the British soldiers moving about 
the streets, destroying military stores and provisions, 
cutting down the liberty-pole, and setting the court- 
house on fire. Then the officers of the minute-men 
decided to march down to the bridge, and at least drive 
away the British soldiers who were stationed there. 
Capt. Isaac Davis of Acton said proudly, " I haven't a 
man that is afraid to go ; " and he and his company 
marched at the head. 

When they reached the bridge, the British soldiers 
fired ; and Davis fell dead. Then Major Buttrick 
called, " Fire ! for God's sake, fire ! " Then the Amer- 
icans fired ; and the regulars retreated in great disorder, 
one man being killed, and several wounded. But the 
Americans knew that they were too few to attack the 
main body, until it should have set out on its return. 

When the British troojDS had destroyed all the mili- 



CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 



iSl 



tary stores they could find at Concord, they prepared 
to return, carrying with them their wounded. They 
were now sixteen miles from Boston, and they were not 
to go back as easily as they came. The guns and bells 
had roused the whole country round ; and men came 
hurrying from all directions, commonly in their shirt- 
sleeves, without order or discipline, but with guns in 




KETREAT OF IHK HKITI^H FRuM CONORD. 



their hands, and every man ready to shelter himself 
behind a stone wall or a tree. A British officer wrote 
afterwards, that it seemed as if men had dropped from 
the clouds. Sometimes there were companies of minute- 
men, and at other times only single farmers. Every 
mile that the tired English soldiers marched from Con- 
cord to Lexington, they had more and more opponents, 



l82 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

who kept firing from behind walls and trees ; so that 
men were constantly falling, wounded or killed. At 
last the British soldiers fairly ran. There was great 
confusion. Their ammunition was almost gone ; and 
they would have had to surrender, had not Lord Percy 
marched out to meet them with re-enforcements, and 
formed his troops into a hollow square at Lexington. 
Into this square the tired fugitives ran, and were safe 
at last. 

" They had to lie down for rest on the ground," an 
English historian says, "their tongues hanging out of 
their mouths, like dogs after a chase." 

Lord Percy had now eighteen hundred men under 
him, and he retreated more slowly for the rest of the 
way ; but he was pursued to Boston by greater and 
greater numbers, and was constantly fired upon ; and 
his troops were glad, at sunset, to get under protection 
of the guns of the men-of-war. The British had suf- 
fered nearly three times as much, in " killed, wounded, 
and missing," as the Americans. 

Great was the excitement produced throughout all 
the colonies, and great was the wonder in England, 
over this astonishing retreat of regular officers before 
provincials. The American farmers, the English said, 
had been called " too cowardly to face the regulars ; " 
and yet the affair had turned out a flight of the Eng- 
lish ; and " Lord Percy's activity was in running away." 
This was very unjust to Lord Percy, who was a brave 
officer ; but it shows the feeling that existed in Eng- 
land. And in America, this day was the real begin- 
ning of the Revolution. Samuel Adams, when he heard 
the guns at Lexington, exclaimed, " Oh, what a glorious 



CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 183 

morning is this ! " for he knew that the contest would 
end in the freedom of the colonies. President Jeffer- 
son said afterwards, " Before the 19th of April, 1775, I 
never had heard a whisper of a disposition to separate 
from Great Britain." 

The Massachusetts committee of safety at once sent 
out addresses to the different towns, and to the other 
New England colonies, asking them to send troops to 
the neighborhood of Boston. Before long there were 
some fifteen thousand men collected, under a variety of 
independent commanders. General Ward commanded 
those from Massachusetts ; General Stark, those from 
New Hampshire ; General Greene, those from Rhode 
Island ; and Generals Spencer and Putnam, those from 
Connecticut. The army was not at all disciplined ; 
it had few cannon, and little ammunition ; the men 
came and went very much as they wished. But they 
were strong enough to keep the British army of five 
thousand shut up in Boston ; and General Gage sent 
most of the families of the patriotic party out of town ; 
so that there was very little intercourse between those 
within and those without. 

It was found that there were two ranges of hills that 
commanded Boston on two sides, — Dorchester Heights 
on the south, and Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill on the 
north-west. It was of importance to both sides to get 
the control of these hills ; and the Americans had rea- 
son to know that General Gage was planning to extend 
his lines, and include Bunker Hill. So a force of a 
thousand men was sent, one night, under command of 
Colonel Prescott, to erect some earthworks for its pro- 
tection. His men were mostly farmers: they had no 



Io4 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

uniforms, and carried fowling-pieces without bayonets. 
They formed on Cambridge Common, and, after a 
prayer by the president of Harvard College, marched 
at nine, p.m., June i6, 1775. They marched so silently, 
that they were not heard ; and the bells of Boston had 
struck twelve before they turned a sod. It was finally 
decided to fortify Breed's Hill, as being nearer to Bos- 
ton, instead of Bunker Hill. The work was soon be- 
gun. As they worked, they could hear the sentinels 
from the British men-of-war cry, "All's well ! " As day 
dawned, the newly-made earthworks were seen from the 
ships, which began to fire on them, as did a battery in 
Boston. But the Americans went on completing their 
fortifications. General Gage with his telescope watched 
Colonel Prescott as he moved about the works. " Will 
he fight ? " asked he. " To the last drop of his blood," 
said an American loyalist who stood near. Soon the 
British general made up his mind to lose no time, but 
to attack the works that day. 

It was now the 17th of June. The day was intensely 
hot. Three thousand British soldiers were embarked 
in boats, and sent across to Charlestown. Prescott 
placed his men as he best could, behind the half-fin- 
ished mounds ; and a detachment was stationed at a 
rail fence, on the edge of Bunker Hill, to keep the 
British troops from flanking the redoubt. This rail 
fence was afterwards filled in with new-mown hay, to 
screen better those behind it. Without food, without 
water, and with very little ammunition, the Americans 
awaited their opponents. There were from two to 
three thousand behind the breastworks, and four thou- 
sand British to attack them ; and the Americans were 



CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 1 85 

almost without drill or discipline, while the British 
troops were veteran regiments. On the other hand, 
the British were obliged to advance in open field, while 
the Americans were behind their earthworks, — a far 
safer position. There they waited as quietly as they 
could, while Putnam, Prescott, and others moved about 
among them, saying, "Aim low." "Wait till you can 
see the whites of their eyes." 

The British soldiers marched forward slowly; for they 
were oppressed with the heat, and were burdened with 
their knapsacks of provisions. But they marched with 
great regularity, and entire confidence. They fired as 
they went; but only a few scattering shots were fired in 
return. On, on, they came, till they were within some 
ten rods of the redoubt. Then the word, " Fire ! " was 
given ; and, when the smoke cleared away, the ground 
was strewed with the British soldiers, and the survivors 
had already begun to retreat. A great cheer went up 
from the forts ; and the shout was echoed from the rail 
fence. The Americans behind the fence were next 
attacked by the right wing of the British. The Ameri- 
cans withheld their fire till the last moment ; and three- 
fourths of the advancing soldiers fell, and the rest 
faltered. Twice the British advanced, and twice they 
were driven backwards ; while very few of the Ameri- 
cans were hurt. Then a third attack was made upon 
ihe main fort. The British officers were seen threaten- 
ing the soldiers, and even striking and pricking them, 
to make them advance ; but they were very unwilling. 
Putnam passed round the ranks, telling his men, that, 
if the British were once more driven back, they could 
not rally again ; and his men shouted, " We are ready 



i86 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



for the red-coats again." But Putnam knew that their 
powder was ahnost gone, and told them to reserve their 
fire till the British were within twenty yards. Once more 
they awaited the assailants, who now advanced with 
fixed bayonets, without firing, and under the protection 
of batteries of artillery. Most of the Americans had 
but one round of ammunition left, and few had more 




DEATH OF GENERAL WARREN. 



than three. Scarcely any had bayonets. Their last 
shots were soon fired ; and there was nothing for them 
but to retreat as they best could. They fell back 
slowly, one by one, losing far more men in the retreat 
than in the battle. Among their losses was the brave 
General Warren, eminent as a physician and as a 
patriot. He was president of the Provincial Congress, 



CONCORD, LEXINGTON, AND BUNKER HILL. 1 87 

and was there only as a volunteer, not in command. 
The British general, Howe, on hearing of his death, 
said that it was equal to the loss of five hundred men 
to the Americans. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND. 

THE battle of Bunker Hill was of the greatest 
importance to the colonies. First, it settled the 
question that there was to be a war, which many people 
had not before believed. Secondly, it showed that 
inexperienced American soldiers could resist regular 
troops. It is said, that, when Washington heard of it, he 
only asked, " Did the militia stand fire? " And when 
he was told that they did, and that they reserved their 
own till their opponents were within eight rods, he said, 
"The liberties of'the country are safe." The battle 
was not claimed as a victory by the Americans ; and yet 
it roused their enthusiasm very much. The ranks of the 
Continental army were filled up, and the troops were in 
high spirits. On the other hand, the greatest surprise 
was felt in England at the courage shown by the 
Americans in this contest, and the great number of 
killed and wounded among the British troops. By the 
ofhcial accounts, the British loss in killed and wounded 
was more than a thousand (1,054), including an unusu- 
ally large proportion of officers ; being one in four of the 
whole force engaged. The Americans lost less than 
half as many, — not more than four hundred and fifty. 
People in England complained that none of their regi- 
188 



WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND. 1 89 

merits had ever returned so diminished in numbers from 
any battle. One came back, for instance, with only 
twenty-five men. And it was said that " no history 
could produce a parallel " to the courage shown by the 
British in advancing beneath such a murderous fire. 
" So large a proportion of a detachment," it was said, 
"was never killed or wounded in Germany," where the 
British armies had lately been engaged. 

Even before the battle of Bunker Hill, the Continen- 
tal Congress had voted to adopt the army besieging 
Boston, as the national army, and to raise additional 
troops in other States. At the recommendation of the 
New England delegates, George Washington was unani- 
mously chosen general-in-chief, with four major-gene- 
rals, — Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, 
and Israel Putnam. It was thought best that the 
general-in-chief should not be from New England, 
because it was wished that all the colonies should join 
in the war ; and, besides, there was no man in Amer- 
ica who could claim to equal Washington in militaiy 
reputation. So he came from Virginia, arriving on July 
2, 1775, and the next day stood under the great elm in 
Cambridge (still known as the Washington Elm) to take 
command of the Continental army. No doubt there 
was great curiosity to see this famous officer ; and we 
can imagine with what eagerness the soldiers looked at 
him. When they looked, they saw a man forty-three 
years old, more than six feet tall, broad and vigorous, 
with large hands and feet, rather clumsy in his move- 
ments, yet with great dignity of bearing, and with a 
noble and commanding countenance at all times. He 
was dressed in a blue coat with buff facings, buff small- 



igo 



YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



clothes, an epaulet on each shoulder, and a black cock- 
ade in his hat. 

And when Washington looked, in turn, upon his army, 
he saw, to use his own words, " a mixed multitude 
of people, under very little discipline, order, or govern- 
ment." They were armed with fowling-pieces or mus- 
kets, hardly any two of which were of the same caliber. 




WASHINGTON TAKING COMMAND OF THE ARMY AT CAMBRIDGE. 



Few of the regiments had any uniform : they were 
collections of men in their old coats or their shirt- 
sleeves, and many of them wearing leather small- 
clothes. Those who came from a distance had usually 
some similarity of dress, to distinguish them on the 
march ; and many of the riflemen who soon arrived 
from Virginia wore hunting-shirts of brown Holland, 



WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND. 191 

" double capecl over the shoulder, in imitation of the 
Indians;" and having embroidered on the breast, in 
capital letters, " Liberty, or death." But, in general, the 
aspect of the Revolutionary army was not at all that of 
disciplined soldiers. And when General Washington 
went round among the camps and forts, which spread 
from Cambridge to Charlestown, he found any thing but 
military regularity and neatness. Some of the troops, 
especially those from Rhode Island, had regular lines 
of tents ; while others lived in little huts, made of 
boards, or stones, or turf, put in any place where shelter 
could be found, and sometimes protected at the doors 
and windows by basket-work. The food was rough, 
and often scanty ; and, worst of all, there was a great 
scarcity of powder. At first there were only seven 
cartridges to a man. Washington wrote to Congress, 
" Our situation in the article of powder is much more 
alarming than I had the faintest idea of." Another 
officer wrote, " The word ' powder ' in a letter sets us all 
on tiptoe." Another wrote, speaking of General Put- 
nam, " The bay is open : every thing thaws here, ex- 
cept old Put. He is still as hard as ever crying out for 
' powder, powder ! Ye Gods, give us powder ! ' " 

By degrees, the army was supplied with many neces- 
sary equipments from the store-ships taken as prizes by 
the Americans, who had put up the English flag on Cas- 
tle William, to allure in vessels, and who had also sent 
out privateers. But the scarcity of powder remained ; 
and this was the chief reason why General Washington 
had to be content for many months with keeping the 
British army besieged in Boston, without trying to take 
the city. Meanwhile the British troops in Boston be- 



192 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

gan to suffer from small-pox and also for want of food 
and fuel. They had to pull down old houses to burn, 
and had to send hundreds of the inhabitants out of the 
town, because they could not be fed. Some of the 
churches were turned into barracks ; and the " Old 
South," into a riding-school ; and Faneuil Hall, into a 
theatre. Sometimes the British used to send out play- 
bills to Washington and his generals. Once, in this 
theatre, the British officers were acting a play called 
" The Blockade of Boston," in which a figure intended 
to burlesque Washington was just coming in, wearing 
a large wig and a long rusty sword, and attended by a 
countryman with a rusty gun. Suddenly a sergeant 
appeared on the stage, and cried, " The Yankees are 
attacking our works on Bunker Hill ! " At first this 
was taken for a part of the play ; but when General 
Howe rose, and called out, " Officers, to your posts ! " 
the people dispersed hastily, amid the shrieking and 
fainting of women. The attack at Charlestown, thus 
announced, did not amount to much ; but General 
Washington at last succeeded in erecting a battery at 
Dorchester Heights, which so effectually assailed the 
British, that General Howe finally embarked his army, 
and quitted Boston forever, March 17, 1776. Nearly 
twelve hundred American loyalists went with the fleet to 
Halifax ; and most of these never returned. 

But, because the British army evacuated Boston, we 
must not suppose that they meant to give up the con- 
test. After the British Government heard of the battle 
of Bunker Hill, it was resolved to subdue the Ameri- 
can colonies, no matter at what cost. All trade and 
intercourse with the colonies were prohibited ; and 



WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND. 193 

their property on the ocean might be seized by any one. 
Sixteen thousand Hessians (or Germans) were em- 
ployed in the British army ; and the whole force des- 
tined for America amounted to fifty thousand men. 
Against this, the whole American army included as yet 
but some twelve thousand. Yet the only effect of all 
this was to make the Americans feel that they had gone 
too far to retreat, and must persevere. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

WE must remember that the most important re- 
sponsibilities of the Revolution were not taken 
by the farmers who fought at Lexington or Bunker 
Hill, but by the Continental Congress at Philadelphia. 
For, even after one or two fights, the Americans might 
have drawn back, and made peace again ; but, after 
the Congress had solemnly declared that the " United 
Colonies are and of right ought to be free and inde- 
pendent States," there was no going back, and they 
must take the consequences. Moreover, the soldiers 
had only to fight ; but the Congress had to take all the 
difficult work of raising soldiers, appointing officers, 
collecting and expending money, and negotiating with 
foreign governments to get, if possible, their aid. It 
looked like a very desperate undertaking. 

To be sure, when the patriots in Congress looked 
back upon the few battles that had yet taken place, 
they could feel that the Americans had begun well. 
Dr. Franklin, who was always cheerful and hopeful, de- 
scribed their situation in this way, in a letter to a friend 
in England : " Britain, at the expense of three millions, 
has killed a hundred and fifty Yankees in this cam- 
paign, which is twenty thousand pounds a head ; and 
194 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 195 

at Bunker Hill she gained a mile of ground, half of 
which she lost again by our taking post on Ploughed 
Hill. During the same time, sixty thousand children 
have been born in America. From these data, Dr. 
Price's mathematical head will easily calculate the 
time and expense necessary to kill us all, and conquer 
our whole territory." This remark was printed in all 
the American papers, and was very encouraging. But 
Dr. Franklin and all the wise men knew in their hearts 
that the Americans were unaccustomed to military dis- 
cipline, that there was great jealousy between the dif- 
ferent colonies, and that many of the richest and most 
influential men were entirely opposed to separating from 
the mother-country. Washington himself said, " When 
I first took command of the army, I abhorred the idea 
of independence ; but I am full}^ convinced that nothing 
else will save us." That was the feeling with which the 
Continental Congress came together to consider whether 
independence should be declared. And the people at 
large were becoming gradually prepared to support such 
a declaration, especially those who had read a book 
called "Common Sense," by Thomas Paine, which had 
been circulated very widely through the country, and 
undoubtedly did more than any other book toward con- 
vincing the Americans that the time for separation had 
come. 

The leading colony at that time was Virginia ; while 
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania came next in order. 
So it was thought best that the first proposal of inde- 
pendence should come from Virginia, and that it should 
be seconded from Massachusetts. On the 7th of June, 
1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved these 
resolutions : — 



196 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

"That these united colonies are, and of right ought 
to be, free and independent States ; that they are 
absolved from all allegiance to the British crown ; and 
that all political connection between them and the State 
of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved. 

"That it is expedient forthwith to take the most 
effectual measures for forming foreign alliances. 

"That a plan of confederation be prepared, and 
transmitted to the respective colonies for their considr 
eration and approbation." 

They were seconded by John Adams of Massachu- 
setts. The first discussion of them showed, that, though 
the members generally were in favor of independence, 
yet there were some who thought the nation not ready 
for it. So it was decided to postpone further discus- 
sion to the ist of July. In the meanwhile, it was 
thought, the people of the colonies would show whether 
they were ready for independence, or not. And show 
it very clearly they did. Before the end of that month, 
the people of every colony but one had either held 
meetings, and voted that they wished for independence, 
or else had instructed their delegates to vote for it ; and, 
when the subject came up on the appointed day, 
New York was the only colony that did not vote to 
declare independence ; and even New York did not 
vote against it. 

During this time of delay, a committee had been 
appointed to draw up a declaration of independence 
to be used, if necessary. This committee consisted of 
Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massa- 
chusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger 
Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 1 97 

New York. The Declaration was written by Thomas 
Jefferson ; though a very few verbal changes were made 
by Adams and Franklin, which may still be seen, in 
their handwriting, on the original document. There 
was a long discussion in the Congress ; and the Decla- 
ration was debated and criticised, word by word, and 
sometimes very severely attacked. During this attack, 
John Adams was its chief defender ; while Jefferson, 
who had written it, did not say a word. He says in his 
journal, " During the debate I was sitting by Dr. Frank- 
lin, who observed that I was writhing a little under the 
acrimonious criticism of some of its parts ; and it was 
on that occasion, that, by way of comfort, he told me the 
story of John Thompson the hatter, and his new sign." 
This was a story — told, also, by Dr. Franklin in his Auto- 
biography — in regard to a man who was about opening 
a shop for hats, and who proposed to have a sign-board 
with a hat painted on it, and the inscription, " John 
Thompson, hatter, makes and sells hats." But almost 
every word of this inscription met with objection from 
somebody, as being unnecessary ; and at last it was 
reduced to "John Thompson," with the figure of a hat. 
It was thus that Franklin amused Jefferson during the 
anxious hours when this most important measure was 
under discussion. 

The Declaration of Independence was adopted July 
4, 1776, though it was not signed until some weeks 
later. When the members of Congress came up to 
sign. Dr. Franklin was still ready with his cheerful wit. 
John Hancock, who headed it, said to the others, "We 
must be unanimous: there must be no pulling different 
v/vr" : we must all hang together." — " Yes," said Frank- 
lin, "we must all hang together, or else we shall all hang 



198 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



separately." We can imagine how they all may have 
laughed at this. But it was really a dangerous respon- 
sibility that they were taking ; and no doubt there were 
some anxious hearts even among those who laughed. 

But at last the great Declaration was adopted, with- 
out being much altered. The principal change was 
in striking out a passage which condemned the king 
of England for his support of the slave-trade more 
severely than some of the Southern members approved. 
In its final form it was adopted by twelve colonies ; 




JLD STATE HOUSE, PHILADELPHIA. 



New York still declining to vote. It had been privately 
resolved, that, when it was passed, the bell of the 
old State House should be rung. This was a bell 
which had been put up some twenty years before, and 
which bore the inscription, " Proclaim liberty through- 
out the land to all the inhabitants thereof." So the 
old bell-ringer placed his little boy at the hall-door to 
await the signal of the door-keeper ; and, when inde- 
pendence was declared at last, the door-keeper gave 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. igg 

the signal, and the boy ran out, exclaiming, " Ring, 
ring, ring ! " Then the bell rang out joyfully, proclaim- 
ing liberty to all the land. There were rejoicings every- 
where ; and the Declaration was read to each brigade in 
the army. This is the way the " Pennsylvania Journal " 
described the excitement : — 

"This afternoon (July I o) the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was read at the head of each brigade of the 
Continental Army posted at and in the vicinity of New 
York. It was received everywhere with loud huzzas, 
and the utmost demonstrations of joy ; and to-night the 
equestrian statue of George III., which Tory pride and 
folly raised in the year 1770, has, by the Sons of Free- 
dom, been laid prostrate in the dirt, — the just desert 
of an ungrateful tyrant." 

This was the courageous feeling with which the Dec- 
laration of Independence was received. Yet at this 
very time the enterprise seemed so daring, and the con- 
dition of the American army was so poor, that Adjutant- 
General Reed, who, from his position, knew the state 
of military affairs better than any one else, had written 
thus a few days before, " Every man, from the general 
to the private, acquainted with our true situation, is 
exceedingly discouraged. Had I known the true posi- 
tion of affairs, no consideration would have tempted me 
to take an active part in this scene." 

After the Declaration of Independence had been 
adopted, it was thought to be time that the " United 
States " should have a flag of its own, as being an in- 
dependent nation. At the opening of the war a variety 
of flags had been used. That carried by the first war- 
vessels commissioned by Washington was called "the 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 




pine-tree flag," and originated with the Massachusetts 
Colony. It had a white ground, a tree in the middle, 
and the motto, " Appeal to Heaven." 
This is the way the English papers 
describe the flag taken from a colonial 
vessel in 1776 ; and a map of Boston 
was published in Paris that same 
year, which represented this flag. The 
American troops still sometimes used 
the British flag, considering themselves 
still a part of the British nation. While 
Washington was in command at Cam- 
bridge, he unfurled before the army a 
new flag, which had thirteen stripes of 
red and white, as now, but had upon its 
corner the red and white cross which 
then marked the British flag. This 
was the flag carried by the Amer- 
ican troops into Boston when the 
royal troops marched out ; but 
Congress voted, June 17, 1777, 
" that the flag of the thirteen 
United States be thirteen stripes, 

alternate red and white, and 
the union be thirteen white 
stars in the blue field." 

The first person to hoist 
this new'^flag over an Ameri- 
can ship'Of-war was Capt. 
Paul Jones, afterwards fa- 
mous in fight. It is said that the flag was first made 
and given to him by some patriotic ladies in Philadel- 





^s--*-^ 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 20r 

phia, and that he procured a small boat, and sailed 
up and down the Schuylkill River, with the colors 
unfurled, to show the assembled people what their 
national ensign was to be. This is the flag that now 
waves over every United States vessel, or camp, or 
building, except that, for every State added to the 
Union, a new star has been placed on the flag ; while 
the thirteen stripes still remind us of the " old thir- 
teen " colonies that won their independence. 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 

UP to the time of the Declaration of Independence, 
ahiiost the whole fighting had been about Boston, 
although the British had made an unsuccessful attack 
on Charleston, S.C., and the Americans had tried, 
with equal ill-success, to overrun Canada, and take 
Quebec. But Washington foresaw that an attempt 
would be soon made by the royal generals to occupy 
New York : so he sent General Lee from Cambridge 
to defend it ; and he himself soon followed, after the 
evacuation of Boston. Sir William Howe also took 
thither the British soldiers who had been withdrawn 
from Boston ; and his brother. Admiral Lord Howe, 
went thither with re-enforcements to meet him ; and 
General Clinton came from the South with additional 
troops. So there were some twenty-four thousand 
British and Hessian troops to be met, and only about 
half that number of Americans yet enlisted. 

Lord Howe had orders from King George to offer 
terms of peace ; but he did not know exactly to whom 
to offer them. First he wrote a letter to the royal gov- 
ernors : but there were no royal governors left ; and the 
letter came into Washington's hands, and proved to 
contain nothing satisfactory. Then Lord Howe wrote 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 203 

a letter addressed to " George Washington, Esq. ; " and 
his brother wrote another addressed to "George Wash- 
ington, &c. : " but Washington declined to receive any 
that were not addressed to him in his true character 
as general commanding the United States army. So 
Lord Howe wrote no more letters, but prepared to 
fight. The American troops were at first defeated. 
They lost several battles ; and Washington with his 
main army had to leave New York to the British troops, 
and to retreat gradually through New Jersey, followed 
by Lord Cornwallis, who reached one side of the Dela- 
ware River just as Washington and his army had 
landed on the other. This retreat naturally encouraged 
the British very much, and discouraged the Americans. 
Washington had hardly three thousand men in Penn- 
sylvania ; and many of these had neither shoes nor 
decent clothing. 

This made it particularly desirable, as Washington 
thought, that he should strike some daring blow. He 
knew that there was a body of about a thousand Hes- 
sian troops at Trenton. These Hessians were hired 
troops from the Province of Hesse-Cassel in Germany ; 
and Washington knew the ways of the Germans. He 
was quite sure that on Christmas Day (1776), they 
would have a great celebration, and would be particu- 
larly off their guard. 80 he waited until the evening 
of that day, crossed the Delaware, and marched all 
night through storm and sleet, taking them by surprise 
at daylight. Some loyalist had written a note to the 
German commander, warning him ; but he had paid no 
attention to it. He was killed in the fight, while all his 
soldiers were taken prisoners. 



2 04 



YOUNG FOLKS UNI.TED STATES. 



Soon after this, Washington gained a victory at 
Princeton, through a surprise. These successes en- 
couraged the Americans very much ; and, though they 
had now nearly fifty thousand soldiers against them, 
they all wished to persevere. Additional troops were 
raised ; but Washington soon had to abandon Phila- 




WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWAKE. 



delphia, and spent a gloomy and sullering winter with 
his army at Valley Forge. 

If we could see in imagination the camp of Wash- 
ington at Valley Forge, we should understand better 
the sacrifice made to secure our liberty. The American 
army had diminished one-half, through desertion and 
illness. From forty-five thousand men, it had shrunk 
to twenty thousand. At Valley Forge the soldiers 
slept without blankets ; and many had to sit up all 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 205 

night by their fires. At one time there were mcrj than 
a thousand without shoes ; and j^ou might track them 
in the snow by their bleeding feet. Even the sick often 
had to He on the ground for want of straw. They had 
scarcely any horses ; and the soldiers made little carts 
to draw their wood and provisions to thejr huts. Offi- 
cers on parade sometimes wore old blankets or faded 
bedquilts to cover them. The troops were hardly 
ever paid ; and the money in which they were paid 
had almost lost its value. Food was scarce ; and the 
gloomy saying was, "No bread, no soldier." There 
were foreign officers in the camp, who had come to aid 
the cause of liberty, — La Fayette, De Kalb, Kosciusko, 
Pulaski, Steuben. They were men accustomed to 
courts and luxury ; and the buildings where they lived 
were " no gayer than a dungeon," La Fayette said. 
During all this hard time Washington behaved most 
nobly. He was obliged to conceal, as far as possible, 
the wretched condition and small numbers of his army ; 
and at the same time he was constantlv censured by 
members of Congress, and even by other generals, 
for not making these poor starved soldiers into " an 
irresistible body of men." Meanwhile the British army 
lived in comfort in Philadelphia, and their officers 
enjoyed every luxury. 

General Burgoyne, with a part of the British army, 
invaded the New England States, through Canada, 
early in 1777, issuing a proclamation, inviting the In- 
dians to join him. He passed down Lake Champlain, 
took Fort Ticonderoga, and afterwards sent a large 
detachment to destroy military stores at Bennington. 
There it was attacked bv General Stark, with a 



2o6 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

militia force from Vermont and New Hampshire. 
Stark had been at Bunker Hill, and had satisfied him- 
self that the American troops could be trusted to attack 
as well as to resist. He is said to have called out to 
his men, before the battle, " There are the red-coats ! 
Before night we must conquer them, or Molly Stark is 
a widow." The Americans carried the day ; and when, 
the next day, another force of Hessians came up. Stark 
attacked and defeated them also. This success helped 
to encourage the Americans ; and a still greater event 
followed. Burgoyne, with his whole army, encamped 
at Saratoga, and was followed thither by General Gates 
with an American force. Two battles were fought at 
Stillwater, without decided results ; but after this the 
British army retreated. They were, however, hemmed 
in by the army of General Gates. And on Oct 17, 1777, 
General Burgoyne, with his whole army of more than 
five thousand men, surrendered as prisoners to the 
Americans, at Saratoga. 

This was an event of the greatest possible impor- 
tance to the Americans. It encouraged the suffering 
army of Washington at Valley Forge ; and it startled the 
friends of America in Europe, who had not hoped for 
any success so great. This was especially the case in 
France, where much sympathy had already been felt for 
America, so that young Frenchmen had volunteered in 
our army ; and yet the French Government had steadily 
refused to make a treaty with the American colonies. 
But, after the surrender of Burgo3'ne, Dr. Franklin 
and the other commissioners succeeded in obtaining 
not only a treaty, but many promises of substantial aid, 
from France. This was Feb. 6, 1778. This treaty 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 207 

again alarmed the English Government, and parliament 
passed bills, and sent over commissioners, to conciliate 
America. But it was now too late ; for the Americans 
had grown accustomed to the thought of entire inde- 
pendence, and would take nothing less. However, the 
commissioners came, and tried to influence Congress, 
and offered large bribes to leading patriots, to aid their 
eflforts. For instance, a sum of ten thousand pounds 
was offered to Gen. Joseph Reed ; and he replied, " I 
am not worth purchasing ; but, such as I am, the king 
of Great Britain is not rich enough to buy me." 

But the aid from France did not amount to much, 
after all. Fleets were sent out by the French Govern- 
ment, to be sure ; but they did little good, and were 
unsuccessful in all their enterprises. The Revolution- 
ary War dragged slowly on for three years more, with 
varying success. Sometimes the Americans were bril- 
liantly successful ; as once at Stony Point, on the Hud- 
son, in 1779, where Gen. Anthony Wayne — "Mad 
Anthony" as he was often called — took a strong for- 
tification on a steep hill, by making his men charge up 
the hill in two columns, with fixed bayonets, and with- 
out firing a gun. At other times the Americans were 
beaten, as when Sir Henry Clinton besieged and took 
Charleston, S.C. There were cruel massacres, as when 
in 1778 a band of Tories (or American loyalists) 
employed the services of Indians to murder men, 
women, and children at Wyoming, Penn. Then there 
were sea-fights, in which Paul Jones made himself 
especially famous by one contest between his ship, 
the " Bonhomme Richard," and the British frigate 
" Serapis." The ships were lashed side by side ; and 



2o8 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



they fought for three hours, chiefly from the rigging and 
tops, both ships taking fire again and again, until the 
British vessel yielded. This was in 1779. Then there 
were very daring deeds in the way of what is called par- 
tisan warfare, especially by Marion and Sumter, in the 
forests of South Carolina. These brave men threaded 
the woods by paths known only to themselves, and 




THE " BONHOMME KICHARd" AND " SEKAPIS." 



made long journeys at night to attack the various posts 
of the British troops, who then held Charleston and its 
neighborhood. Marion was called the Swamp-Fox; and 
the British officers complained of him for not coming 
out into the open field " to fight like an officer and a 
gentleman." 

There was one great act of treason committed during 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 209 

the war by one of the most distinguished officers of 
the American army, — Gen. Benedict Arnold. He had 
taken part in the war from its very beginning, and had 
distinguished himself by marching a party of troops 
through the forests of Maine to attack Quebec, and by 
commanding a naval force in a severe battle on Lake 
Champlain, and in various other ways. Nevertheless, 
he had the reputation of being selfish and revengeful, 
had not the full confidence of his brother-officers, and 
had seen others promoted above him. For a year and 
a half, as it afterwards proved, he had been in secret 
correspondence with the British commander-in-chief. 
Sir Henry Clinton, the letters passing under feigned 
names ; so that Sir Henry himself did not know, for a 
long time, with whom he was corresponding. In the 
course of this, Arnold got himself appointed to the 
command of the Hudson River, with his headquarters 
at West Point. This was then considered the most 
strongly-fortified point in the colonies, and was called 
the " American Gibraltar." It was called " the key of 
communication between the Eastern and the Southern 
States ; " so that it would have been almost ruinous to 
the colonial cause, if it had been transferred to the 
English. This was what Arnold proposed to surren- 
der ; and he would have succeeded, but for the capture 
of the British officer who carried on the negotiations. 

One day some young Americans who were out among 
the hills in what was called the neutral ground, between 
the lines of the two armies, saw a man advancing 
along the road, stopped him, and questioned him. 
Supposing them to be loyalists, of whom there were 
many in that region, he indiscreetly told them that he 
>4 



2IO YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

was a British officer. He proved to be Major Andre, 
aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief. They then 
searched him, and found papers concealed in his boots, 
giving full information, received from Arnold, in regard 
to the garrison and defences of West Point, and the 
plan of its surrender. Major Andre offered them large 
sums for his release ; but they refused to accept them, 




CAPTURE OF MAJOR ANDKIi 

and took him to the nearest military station. This 
was on the 23d of September, 1780. He was afterwards 
brought before General Washington, and tried by court- 
martial. There was much excitement in regard to this 
act of treason, and much sympathy was felt for Andre'; 
but he was convicted of being a spy, and was hanged, 
this being the military punishment for that offence. 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 



Arnold, meanwhile, escaped to the British lines, and 
afterwards joined the British army. He aided in fight- 
ing against his own countrymen, was made a brigadier- 
general, and had a large reward in money ; but he was 
generally despised, avoided, and insulted, even by the 
nation to which he had sold his services. 

During all this time the French had rendered little 
direct aid to the Americans, though Count Rocham- 
beau had landed 
at Newport, R.I., 
in 1780, with six 
thousand m e n. 
But the war closed 
with one great vic- 
tory, in which the 
French played a 
very important 
part. It was at 
York town, Va., 
where General 
Cornwallis had 
made his head- 
quarters. General 
Washington was 
there with American troops, and Count Rochambeau 
with a corps of French soldiers, while Admiral de 
Grasse blockaded York River. After ten days' siege, 
when some of his most important works had been 
destroyed by the American artillery, Lord Cornwallis 
planned to leave Yorktown at night, to cross York 
River, and retreat to New York. A storm prevented ; 
and he surrendered to Washington. 




LORD CORNWALLIS. 



212 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

On Oct. 19, 1781, the allied armies, French and 
American, were drawn up in two columns outside York- 
town, with Washington and Rochambeau, on horse- 
back, at their head ; and between them the conquered 
troops marched out, and laid down their arms. There 
were about seven thousand British troops, and some 
sixteen thousand French and American. Even now, 
in some country-militia musters, the soldiers go through 
the forms of that surrender, and call the military per- 
formance " a Cornvvallis." Great was the joy which 
followed ; and those who were awake that night in 
Philadelphia heard the watchmen cry, " Past two o'clock, 
and Cornwallis is taken ! " On hearing the news. 
Congress recommended a day of thanksgiving to 
be observed throughout the States ; and Washington 
ordered the liberation of all persons under arrest for 
any offence, that all might share in the general joy. 

Well might the Americans rejoice ; for all men felt 
that the surrender of Cornwallis decided the result of 
the war. It was a war that had lasted nearly seven years, 
and cost Great Britain a hundred million pounds ster- 
ling, and fifty thousand lives, besides depriving that 
nation of the very colonies for whose taxation the war 
was waged. It was a war, in the words of the great 
English statesman, Mr. Pitt, " which was conceived in 
injustice, nurtured in folly, and whose footsteps were 
marked with slaughter and devastation." It had also 
cost the Americans untold suffering ; but they knew 
that the end was worth the sacrifice. There was more 
fighting, here and there, after the surrender of Corn- 
wallis ; and the British held, for nearly two years more, 
the cities of New York, Charleston, and Savannah. 



THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR. 213 

But no extensive campaign took place ; and at last, on 
Sept. 3, 1783, a treaty was made at Paris, between the 
English and American commissioners, by which was 
established all that the Declaration of Independence 
had proclaimed ; and the new nation, called " The 
United States of America," took its place among the 
governments of the earth. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



AFTER THE WAR. 



ON the 3d of November, 1783, the Revolutionary 
army was disbanded. At the end of the long 
struggle, the American Colonies were left very poor ; 
and their money had so declined in value, that it took 
a hundred paper dollars to buy a pair of shoes. The 
discharged soldiers of the army were so destitute and 
so dissatisfied, that it took all General Washington's 
influence to quiet them. People had to be taxed to 
pay the expenses of the government ; and yet many 
had not money to pay their taxes ; and a rebellion 
broke out in Massachusetts, called " Shay's Rebellion," 
composed of men who thought that no taxes or debts 
ought to be paid at such a time. All this was very 
alarming, and convinced the Americans that they 
needed a stronger government than the mere league 
which they had formed in 1777, and which had carried 
them through the war. The trouble with the govern- 
ment had been, all along, that the colonies were jealous 
of each other, and especially the smaller of the larger ; 
and so they had all wished to give the " Confederation," 
as it had been called, just as little power as they could. 
They were so afraid that their government would be 
tyrannical, that they had hardly given Congress any 
214 



AFTER THE WAR. 215 

means of action. Congress was not authorized to raise 
money by taxes, or to fix the rates of duties on foreign 
goods imported, or to compel obedience to any law. 
It was found that foreign countries did not like to 
make treaties with such a loose and feeble government. 
Washington said, " We are one nation to-day, and 
thirteen to-morrow : who will treat with us on these 
terms ? " 

It was perceived that this would never do ; and so 
a convention of delegates was called, to meet in the 
State House at Philadelphia, in order to decide upon 
a new constitution, and make, if possible, a stronger 
government, without doing harm to the liberties of the 
people. There was a , long discussion, lasting many 
weeks, in this convention ; but at last, on Sept. 17, 
1787, the present Constitution was adopted. It had 
still to be accepted by the different States, and there 
was a good deal of opposition to it ; while it was very 
strongly urged by Alexander Hamilton and others, in a 
celebrated series of papers, called "The Federalist." 
However, ten of the diirteen States agreed to it almost 
immediately ; so that it went into effect in 1788. Of 
the three which remained. New York accepted the Con- 
stitution in time to take part in the first presidential 
election, that same year. North Carolina accepted it 
during the year following ; and Rhode Island, last of 
all, in the year after that (1790). Thus the old "Con- 
federation " ended, and the new " Union " began. The 
Confederation had changed the Colonies into inde- 
pendent States ; and the Union now united these 
States into a single nation. The nation has governed 
itself, ever since, under the Constitution then adopted, 



2l6 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

although some amendments have been made to it from 
time to time. 

There were great celebrations over all the country 
when the new Constitution went into effect, and the 
new nation began to exist. In Philadelphia, for in- 
stance, there was a procession of five thousand people, 
representing all trades and pursuits. Such a procession 
of trades was then quite a new thing ; and it was thought 
to show the difference between republican and monar- 
chical government ; because in Europe, at that time, 
all civic processions were almost wholly militar}' in their 
character. In the procession there were figures in 
emblematical costumes, representing the Declaration 
of Independence, the French Alliance, the Treaty 
of Peace, and so on. The Constitution was repre- 
sented by a lofty car, in the shape of an eagle, drawn 
by six horses. The judges of the Supreme Court sat in 
this car, bearing the Constitution, framed, and fixed 
upon a staff, which was crowned with the cap of liberty, 
and was inscribed in gold letters " The People." Then 
a carriage, drawn by ten white horses, supported the 
model of a building representing the Federal Govern- 
ment ; its roof being upheld by thirteen columns. 
Three of these were left unfinished, to represent the 
States that had not yet ratified the Constitution ; and 
ten wece finished, to represent the States that had al- 
ready joined. There were also ten ships along the 
river, with flags and gilt inscriptions, in honor of these 
ten States. The clergy of the city walked in the pro- 
cession ; and the Jewish rabbi went between two Chris- 
tian ministers, to show that the new Republic was 
founded on principles of religious toleration. 



Hi 



AFTER THE WAR. 



217 



George Washington was chosen the first President of 
the Republic, and John Adams as Vice-President. New 
York was to be the seat of government ; and as Wash- 
ington travelled thither from his home in Virginia, he 
had enthusiastic greetings everywhere. At Trenton, 
for instance, where he had formerly fought several bat- 
tles, he found a triumphal arch thrown across a bridge 




KECEPTION OF WASHINGTON AT TRENTON. 

which he was to pass. It was the verv' bridge over 
which he had once retreated before the army of Corn- 
wallis. The arch was supported on thirteen pillars, 
was wreathed with flowers, and bore the inscription, 
" The Defender of the Mothers will be the Preserver of 
the Daughters." Beneath this arch stood a party of 
young girls, with baskets of flowers in their hands ; and 
they sang this song as Washington drew near : — 



2l8 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

" Welcome, mighty chief, once more, 
Welcome to this grateful shore : 
Now no mercenary foe 
Aims again the fatal blow, — 
Aims at thee the fatal blow. 

Virgins fair, and matrons grave, 
Those thy conquering arm did save, 
Build for thee triumphal bowers : 
Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers ! — 
Strew your hero's way with flowers ! " 

Suiting the action to the word, they strewed before 
him the flowers from their baskets. 

As he approached New York, a delegation was sent 
out to meet him. A barge was provided with a crew of 
thirteen, wearing white uniforms, this number being 
chosen to represent the thirteen colonies ; and many 
other boats joined in procession, with flags flying. The 
governor of the State and many others were in waiting 
at the wharf, and escorted Washington, amid great 
enthusiasm, to his quarters. Carriages were provided, 
but he preferred to walk ; and the procession passed 
through the streets, while handkerchiefs w^ere waved, 
and flowers were strewed in the way. Some days after, 
the ceremony of inauguration took place on the balcony 
of what was then the senate-chamber. It was a hall 
called " Federal Hall," which stood at the meeting of 
four streets ; and these streets were so crowded, that, 
as an eye-witness said, "It seemed as if one might lit- 
erally walk on the heads of the people." When Wash- 
ington came forth upon the balcony, the chancellor of 
New York read the inaugural oath to him, and he 
repeated it. After the oath was administered, there 
was a cry of " Long live George Washington, President 



AFTER THE WAR. 



219 



of the United States ! " to which the assembled crowd 
replied with shouts of enthusiasm. Then a flag was 
raised on the cupola of the hall, and there was a gen- 
eral discharge of artillery, and pealing of bells. Thus 
was the new Republic fully organized at last, with a 
chief magistrate who had the respect and love of the 
whole people. This was March 4, 1789. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 

BUT Washington and those who aided him in the 
American Government had need of all their wis- 
dom, and of all the public confidence, amid the duties 
that were to be done. The affairs of the United States 
were found to be in most alarming condition. The 
nation was very much in debt ; people were very unwill- 
ing to pay taxes ; the Indians were hostile ; the pirates 
of the Barbary States often attacked American ships ; 
and the relations of the new government with England, 
France, and Spain, were all very unsatisfactory. But 
within a few years all was changed. The money-matters 
were put on a sound basis ; the rioters and the Indians 
were subdued : and treaties were made with Algiers, 
Spain, and England. This last treaty was made in ll 

1794, by John Jay, and was very much opposed by 
many people, because it was thought to be too favora- 
ble to England ; but it was at last ratified, and there 
was a period of peace between the two nations. 

During all this prosperity the affairs of France still 
gave the United States a great deal of trouble. There 
had been in France a great revolution, which the success 
of the American struggle had helped to bring about. 
The old French monarchy had been overthrown ; and 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 22 1 

an atlempt had been made to set up a republic in its 
place. Unhappily this attempt had led to terrible 
violence and bloodshed. All this made much excite- 
ment in the United States, because France had been 
the great ally of America during the Revolutionary 
War ; and, moreover, the French seemed to be trying to 
do just what the Americans had done, though the 
attempt ended very differently in the two cases. So 
there was in the United States a very strong party 
which sympathized heartily with the French Revolu- 
tion ; and, on the other hand, there was another strong 
party, composed of those who were afraid of French 
example and French influence, and who wished the 
United States Government to resemble the English 
Government as much as possible. These admirers of 
England were commonly called "Federalists " in those 
days ; while those who sympathized with France were 
called "Republicans," and afterwards "Democrats." 
Washington, Hamilton, and John Adams were con- 
sidered Federalists ; while Jefferson and Samuel Adams 
were Democrats. 

This difference between the two parties showed itself 
even in regard to the forms and ceremonies of the 
government, and the style of living among public 
officers. The Federalists were afraid that the new 
government would not command respect enough ; and 
they wished to see a good deal of formality, and even 
of elegance. On the other hand, the Democrats feared 
that the new government would become too power- 
ful ; that it would destroy the rights of the States ; and 
that it would become too costly and aristocratic, as 
in European nations. President Washington's way of 



222 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

living was complained of as too showy and expensive ; 
and it certainly would seem so to us, although, in those 
days, the habits of society were different, and these 
things attracted less attention. When, for instance, it 
was doubted by what official name the president should 
be called, Washington was himself in favor of the words, 
" High Mightiness," — the words used to describe the 
Stadtholder of Holland ; that State being then a repub- 
lic. This phrase was, however, rejected ; and the more 
moderate title, " Excellency," was substituted. Again : 
when Washington drove to the sessions of Congress, he 
went in a state-coach, of which the body was in the 
shape of a hemisphere, cream-colored, bordered with 
flowers round the panels, and ornamented with figures 
representing cupids, and supporting festoons. On great 
occasions the coach was drawn by six horses ; on ordi- 
nary occasions, by four ; and on Sundays, by two only. 
The driver and postilions wore liveries of white and 
scarlet. 

President Washington held levees, or receptions, once 
a fortnight, in his own house. At precisely three in 
the afternoon the doors of the great dining-room were 
thrown open ; and the guests who were admitted saw 
the president standing before the fireplace, with mem- 
bers of his cabinet or other eminent men around him. 
On these occasions he was usually dressed in black 
velvet, with white or pearl-colored waistcoat, yellow 
gloves, and silver knee-buckles and shoe-buckles. His 
hair was powdered, and gathered into a silk bag behind. 
He carried a cocked hat in his hand, and wore a long 
sword with a scabbard of polished white leather. He 
never shook hands with his guests, but bowed to each 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 223 

when introduced, and afterwards had a little conversa- 
tion with each. Mrs. Washington, also, had evening 
levees, at which every one appeared in full dress. The 
birthday of the president was celebrated by dinners 
and public meetings in all the large towns of the 
nation, as the birthday of the king of England had 
been before celebrated ; and on these occasions odes 
were often addressed to Washington by poets. All these 
things were believed by many people to have an impor- 
tant influence in adding dignity and decorum to the 
young Republic. Others, however, thought that harm 
was done by this imitation of the customs prevailing in 
monarchies ; and such persons accused Washington of 
too much etiquette and ostentation. 

It must be remembered, that, in all classes of society, 
there was then more formality than now, and that the 
display of elegant costumes was much greater. The 
judges of the Supreme Court in winter wore robes of 
scarlet faced with velvet, and in summer wore very 
full black silk robes, as is still their practice. Clergy- 
men wore wigs, with gown and bands, in the pulpit, 
and cocked hats in the street. In private life, there 
was much the same style of dress after the Revolution 
as before, although, for a time, people were poorer. 
Ladies wore those beautiful silks and brocades which 
are still preserved as heirlooms in many American 
families ; and their hair was dressed with powder and 
pomatum, and often built up to a great height above the 
head. The hair-dressers were kept so busy on the day 
of any fashionable entertainment, that ladies sometimes 
had to employ their services at four or five in the 
morning, and had to sit upright all the rest of the day, 



224 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

in order to avoid disturbing the head-dress. Gentle- 
men had a great variety of color in their clothes, and 
employed a richness of material, such as only ladies 
now display. " If a gentleman went abroad, he ap- 
peared in his wig, white stock, white satin embroidered 
vest, black satin small-clothes with white silk stockings, 
and fme broadcloth or velvet coat : if at home, a velvet 
cap, sometimes with a fine linen one under it, took the 
place of the wig ; while a gown, frequently of colored 
damask, lined with silk, was substituted for the coat, 
and the feet were covered with leather slippers of some 
fancy color." Gentlemen took snuff almost universally 
in those days ; and a great deal of expense and beauty 
was often lavished on a snuff-box. To take snuff with 
one another was as much a matter of courtesy as the 
lifting of the hat. 

The theatre was only just beginning to be publicly 
tolerated ; but private theatricals sometimes took place ; 
and Washington occasionally had them at his own 
house. Concerts of music were allowed ; and balls 
were sometimes given on a very large scale, especially 
by foreign ambassadors. At one of these given in 
Philadelphia by the French Ambassador, a building 
was erected on purpose for the entertainment. There 
were seven hundred guests, and ten thousand spectators 
were collected in the street outside. Ladies and gen- 
tlemen went to balls in sedan-chairs ; the guests arriv- 
ing between seven and eight. The dances were chiefly 
minuets and contra-dances ; quadrilles being only just 
introduced. At the first Inauguration Ball, a quantity 
of fans, ordered from Paris for the purpose, were dis- 
tributed among the ladies. These fans were of ivory 



i 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 225 

and paper; and each bore a medallion portrait of Gen- 
eral Washington. 

While this was the way of living among the more 
fashionable classes of society, the people at large were 
gradually recovering from the losses of war, and were 
engaging in various branches of industry. War is apt 
to unsettle the habits of a people ; but most of the dis- 
charged soldiers of the Revolution went willingly back 
to their farms and workshops, and were proud of hav- 
ing established a republic where there was liberty and 
also law. Many were for a time very poor ; but there 
were few beggars to be seen, — so few as to surprise 
foreign travellers. The chief occupations of the peo- 
ple were agriculture and commerce, together with hunt- 
ing and fishing. There were as yet neither cotton-mills 
nor woollen-mills ; and very few of the varied modern 
mechanical inventions had yet been introduced. In 
the country, people still had great open fires of wood, 
still burned tallow candles of their own making, and 
wore homespun garments. Even people in the cities 
were not far from the wilderness ; and the gun and 
fishing-rod were to be found in most houses, even in 
the Eastern States ; while at the South, there were 
hardly any large towns at all, and the Far West was as 
yet unexplored by the English colonists, and was only 
known by the Canadian French. 

During the administration of Washington, a most im- 
portant invention was made, which was destined to have 
great influence on American history. When the first 
European explorers came to the American Continent, 
they found growing wild, in its southern parts, a plant 
called cotton. It had already been used in other 
15 



226 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

parts of the world ; its fine fibre, or down, being spun 
into cloth. It was easy enough to raise cotton.; but 
the great trouble was to separate the seed from the 
fibre, which was called "ginning" it. It had to be 
done by hand, and it took a whole day to gin a pound. 
Finally an ingenious young man from Massachusetts, 
named Eli Whitney, who had just graduated at Yale 
College, went to Georgia to teach school ; and a 
lady, Mrs. Greene, in whose family he was living, and 
who had seen how skilfully he made toys for her 
children, begged him to invent a machine for ginning 
cotton. He had never even seen the cotton-seed ; but 
he walked to Savannah, got some of the seed,, and 
tried experiments in machinery. He could not even 
buy tools or wire in that region, but had to make them 
for himself. This was in 1792. At last, with great 
difficulty, he made a rude machine, and showed it to 
his friend, Mrs. Greene, who invited the leading cot- 
ton-planters to examine it. All saw at once that it was 
to be successful ; but, before it could be finished, the 
building in which he worked was broken open by night, 
and the machine was carried off. Other machines were 
made from it ; and it was long before the inventor could 
get any compensation for his labor. After this in- 
vention was perfected, the cultivation and manufacture 
of cotton at once grew up to immense importance ; and 
American cotton supplied the world, which never could 
have been the case but for some such invention as that 
of Eli Whitney. 

Soon after Washington became president, one of the 
most distinguished of Americans died, — one of those 
who had rendered the greatest services to the liberty 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS, 



227 



of their country. This was Dr, Benjamin Franklin. 
He was born in Boston, in 1706, and was the son of a 
poor tallow-chandler. When a boy he learned the 
printer's trade ; and at seventeen left home, and estab- 
lished himself in Philadelphia. He and a young part- 
ner began busi- 
ness with no capi- 
tal, and felt very 
grateful to a friend 
whom they met in 
the street, who 
gave them a five- 
shilling job. Then 
they set up a news- 
paper, and pub- 
lished an alma- 
nac, called " Poor 
Richard's Alma- 
nack," which had 
a great circula- 
tion. They also 
dealt in all sorts 
of small wares, — 
rags, ink, soap, 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



feathers, coffee. Franklin was a great reader, and a 
great student of science, and especially of electricity ; 
and he formed the theory that lightning and the electrical 
fluid were the same thing. This he said in a pamphlet ; 
and some readers thought it a very absurd view. Then 
he resolved to prove it ; and he and his young son made 
a great kite of a silk handkerchief, fastened a piece of 
sharpened wire to the stick, and went out to fly the kite 



228 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

in a thunder-storm. As the low thunder-cloud passed, 
the electric fluid came down the string of the kite ; 
and, when Franklin touched a key that he had fastened 
to the string, his knuckles drew sparks from it, and 
proved that there was electricity there. This led him 
to invent the lightning-rod, which is now in such uni- 
versal use, and draws down the electricity from the 
cloud, on the same principle. This discovery at once 
made him very famous in Europe, as well as in America. 
He was afterwards sent to England on a public mission, 
and remained there till the outbreak of the Revolution. 
Returning to America, he was one of the framers and 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. After- 
wards he*was sent ambassador to France, and aided 
in making the treaty with France which secured the 
independence of the American Colonies. He was a 
man of the greatest activity, public spirit, and wit. He 
had a most important influence in all public afi'airs, 
and founded more good institutions and benevolent 
enterprises than any American of his time. His last 
public act was to sign a memorial to Congress, 
in behalf of the Philadelphia Antislavery Society, of 
which he was president, asking the abolition of slavery. 
He lived to be eighty-four, dying April 17, 1790. The 
whole nation mourned when he died ; and Mirabeau, 
then the leader of the French Assembly, called him 
" the sage whom two worlds claim as their own," and 
proposed that the Assembly should wear mourning on 
the arm for him, during three days, which was done. 
It was said of him, after his death, by a celebrated 
Frenchman, Turgot, that " he snatched the lightning 
from the sky, and the sceptre from tyrants." 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 



229 



During Washington's administration, several new 
States were added to the original thirteen. The first 
of these was Vermont, in 1791. Vermont had been 
first settled by pioneers, to whom the governor of New 
Hampshire had granted lands, — hardy men, who lived 
by cutting down the forests, and by establishing iron- 
furnaces. After a time New York claimed this terri- 
tory, and tried to drive out the settlers. They resisted, 
and sent Ethan Allen, their leader, to remonstrate 
with the New York legislature. The legislature treated 
the demands of the settlers with contempt ; upon 
which Ethan Allen went away, defying them, and said 
in the words of the Bible, " Our gods are gods of the 
hills : therefore they are stronger than yours." Then 
New York sent officers to drive out the settlers ; but 
the " Green Mountain Boys," as they began to be 
called, resisted. If any one attempted to eject them 
from their settlements, he was seized, tied to a tree, and 
whipped with beechen rods ; which process they called 
" applying the beech seal." Large rewards were offered 
for the arrest of Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, and others, 
but to no avail. When the Revolution broke out, the 
" Green Mountain Boys " wished to join the Provincial 
Congress ; but New York objected to this, and they 
were excluded. However, they distinguished them- 
selves very much during the Revolution, and were 
admitted soon after the Union had been formed ; 
taking for their settlement the name of Vermont, which 
signifies " Green Mountain." 

Then Kentucky came into the Union in 1792. 
This region was at first considered as a part of Vir- 
ginia, and was only explored a short time before the 



230 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

American Revolution. The first explorer was Daniel 
Boone, a famous hunter and pioneer. He used to 
penetrate the wildest regions with small parties of 
men, to hunt and trap wild animals for the furs, and to 
make salt at the famous " Salt Licks," or springs. He 
built forts, and sometimes held them for several days, 
with his few men, against much larger bodies of Indi- 
ans. Once he was carried away a prisoner, and adopted 
into an Indian family, but at last made his escape. 
After his adventures were made known, settlers rapidly 
flocked in, coming mostly from the lower parts of Vir- 
ginia, and bringing their slaves with them. They were 
stoutly resisted by the Indians ; and a long series of 
conflicts followed, from which came the name by which 
that region was long known, " The Dark and Bloody 
Ground." The Spanish Government tried at one time 
to induce the Kentuckians to declare themselves inde- 
pendent of the Union, and then to join Louisiana, 
which still belonged to Spain. But all these efforts 
failed, and the " Dark and Bloody Ground " became 
one of the United States. The name Kentucky is said 
to mean " Long River." 

Tennessee came into the Union next, in 1796. This 
part of the country had been explored much earlier 
than Kentucky, and had, probably, been visited by De 
Soto long before the settlement of the more eastern 
States. De Soto was probably the first European to 
conduct a party of men to the Mississippi River, or 
the " Hidden River," or " Inland Sea," as it was then 
often called ; and he had marched with his troops and 
cannon, for weeks, through wildernesses before unex- 
plored. When he died of fever at last, in 1542, his 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 23I 

soldiers wished to secure liis remains against the Indi- 
ans : so they hollowed the trunk of an old tree, placed 
his body in it, and sunk it in a deep part of the Missis- 
sippi River. But, for a long time afterwards, that part 
of the country was almost unvisited by white men, and 
the land was occupied more slowly than in Kentucky. 
The settlers came chiefly from North Carolina ; and for 
a time their settlements were considered a part of that 
colony. At one time the people became dissatisfied, 
and tried to establish a separate State, under the name 
of Franklin ; but the project was given up, and, after 
various changes, that whole region was admitted as one 
of the United States under the name of Tennessee ; this 
being the Indian name for the principal river that flows 
through it. The settlers had brought their slaves with 
them ; so that Tennessee, also, was a slave State. 

Thus, at the end of Washington's administration, 
there were sixteen States in the Union. There was 
also the " North-west Territory," as it was called, not 
yet organized into States, — the whole wide region 
between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, from which 
slavery had been forever excluded by a law passed by 
Congress in 1787. The first census of the nation was 
taken in 1790 ; and the population was about four mil- 
lions (3,929,214). 

Washington served two terms, or eight years, and then 
declined a re-election. John Adams of Massachusetts, 
who had been vice-president, was the second president 
of the United States (1797-1801). He was what was 
called a Federalist, and was chosen by a small majority 
over Thomas Jefferson, who belonged to the opposite 
party. It was the law in those days that the candidate 



232 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



who came second in the presidential election should 
be made vice-president; and so Mr. Jefferson was 
assigned to that office under Mr. Adams, though they 
differed a great deal in their politics. President 
Adams had been one of the foremost of the patriots 
from the outbreak of the Revolution. He had after- 
wards assisted in framing the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence ; and he 
had been one of 
the ambassadors 
to make the treaty 
with France at the 
close of the Rev- 
olution. He was 
inaugurated presi- 
dent at Philadel- 
phia, to which city 
the seat of govern- 
ment had been re- 
moved. Under his 
administration it 
was again removed 
to Washington, to 
a site which Presi- 
dent Washington himself had selected. 

After President Adams came into power, the trou- 
bles with France went on increasing. Ambassadors 
had been sent there from the United States ; but the 
French Government would not receive them. Then it 
was hinted to the ambassadors that a payment of 
money would reconcile France ; and one of them 
answered, " Millions for defence, not a cent for trib- 




11 



JOHN ADAMS. 



WASHINGTON AND ADAMS. 233 

ute." It was Charles C. Pinckney of South Carolina 
who said this ; and the sentiment was repeated every- 
where through the United States. There seemed to 
be great prospect of another war ; and General Wash- 
ington was called from his quiet home in Virginia, to 
take command of the army. There were some sea- 
fights between French and American vessels ; but, 
when Napoleon Bonaparte came into power, President 
Adams succeeded in making a treaty with him, in 1800; 
and after this there was peace with France. 

But there had to be an increase of taxation to meet 
the expense of these preparations for war ; and this 
made the administration of President Adams unpopular 
with many people. Some laws had also been passed, 
called " Alien and Sedition Laws," which were very 
much disliked, because they gave the president au- 
thority to arrest any foreigner, and to send him out of 
the country, without a trial ; and also gave unusual 
power to the president in other ways. Great as Presi- 
dent Adams's public services had been, he was made 
very unpopular by these laws ; and he was not re- 
elected for a second term, as Washington had been. 
The popular vote was so divided, that there was no 
choice ; and the House of Representatives, which had 
in such cases the right of deciding, chose Mr. Jefferson 
as president, in Mr. Adams's place. 

It was during the administration of President 
Adams, that General Washington died, Dec. 14, 1799. 
There had been much party bitterness during the latter 
part of Washington's administration ; but when he 
died the whole nation mourned. All felt how much 
the new American Republic had owed to his courage, 



234 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

foresight, truthfulness, and disinterestedness. The 
resolutions passed by the House of Representatives 
declared that he was " first in war, first in peace, and 
first in the hearts of his countrymen." This was very 
true ; and the phrase has become almost a proverb in 
speaking of Washington. 

No new States were admitted into the Union in 
President Adams's time ; but the region between 
Georgia and the Mississippi River was organized into 
a " territory," and began to be settled. It comprised 
what is now included by the States of Mississippi and 
Alabama. None of the vast region west of the Mis- 
sissippi yet belonged to the United States, nor did 
Florida. Another census of the nation was taken in 
1800 ; and the population had risen to nearly five mil- 
lions and a half (5,308,483). 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



JEFFERSON S ADMINISTRATION. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON of Virginia was the third 
president of the United States, and served two 
terms (1801-1809). He was well known as having been 
the framer of the 
DecLaration of In- 
dependence, and 
as having been 
vice-president un- 
der John Adams. 
He represented 
the RepubHcan 
party, as it was 
then called, or 
Democratic party, 
as it was after- 
wards called, — 
the party which 
sympathized with 
France rather than 
with England in 
the war that was 
going on between 
those nations. American politics turned very much on 

235 




THu.MAS JEFFEKSOiV. 



236 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

this war, because it put the United States in a very diffi- 
cult position. Both France and England had issued 
orders, each nation forbidding all trade with the other, 
and claiming the right to confiscate all vessels engaged 
in such trade. Thus every American vessel on the 
ocean was liable to capture by the one or the other of 
these two nations ; and, whether an American ship- 
master saw the English or the French flag, he tried 
equally hard to keep out of the way, for fear of having 
his vessel seized, and his crew perhaps imprisoned. 

Besides this, the English claimed the right to search 
American vessels to see if there were any English 
seamen on board, and to take any such, if found ; and 
several hundred men were thus seized in the course of 
a single year. It even happened, once or twice, that 
the whole crew of a ship was taken, and the vessel 
was left with nobody to man it. Once the British man- 
of-war " Leopard " attempted to search the American 
frigate " Chesapeake," for deserters, within sight of 
Fortress Monroe in Virginia ; and, when the American 
commander refused to submit, his ship was fired upon, 
and compelled to surrender ; and four men were carried 
away, one of whom was hanged. All this caused the 
greatest injury to American commerce, and much angry 
feeling against Great Britain. Then Congress, wishing 
to punish England by ceasing to trade with her, laid, 
in 1807, an "embargo," as it was called, or prohibition, 
forbidding American shipping from leaving American 
ports. But this hurt the United States, in the end, 
much more than it hurt England. It completed the 
injury that other causes had begun ; and it made Presi- 
dent Jefferson very unpopular, for a time, with Ameri- 
can merchants. 



JEFFERSON S ADMINISTRATION. 237 

There was also much trouble with the Barbary 
States, along the Mediterranean Sea. These States 
subsisted by piracy, and by claiming as slaves the 
crews and passengers of all vessels that they took. It 
was a common thing, at that time, for notices to be 
read in American churches of the captivity of mem- 
bers of the church in Tripoli or Algiers. Then a sum 
of money was usually raised for the ransom of each, — 
as much as four thousand dollars for a captain or a 
passenger. Sometimes these sums were paid by sub- 
scription, and sometimes by the government. Thou- 
sands of Americans were thus held in captivity ; and 
millions of dollars were spent for ransom. A treaty 
was made with these Barbary States, by which it was 
agreed that the United States should pay a certain 
amount of money for 
the protection of the 
national commerce. 
Then a dispute arose 
about the terms of 
this treaty ; and Pres- 
ident Jefferson re- 
solved to bear this 
humiliation no long- 
er. The American 
navy consisted, at 
that time, of but six 
vessels ; and he sent 
four of them to the 
Mediterranean. One 
of these, the frigate lieutenant decatur. 

" Philadelphia," under Captain Bainbridge, ran aground 




238 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



in the harbor of Tripoli, and was captured ; and the 
crew were made slaves. A young lieutenant, named 
Decatur, proposed to the commander of the fleet to 
take command of a Tripolitan vessel that had just been 
captured, put an American crew on board, enter the 
harbor by night, and rescue or burn the " Philadelphia." 
This was successfully done. The little Tripolitan ves- 




DECATUR BURNING THE "PHILADELPHIA." 



sel came quietly in beside the captured frigate ; and 
Decatur and his men recaptured her in ten minutes. 
But it was impossible to move her ; and in a few min- 
utes the " Philadelphia " was in flames, and the little 
vessel of Decatur was sailing out of the harbor again, 
without the loss of a man. This was on Feb. 15, 1804. 
Decatur afterwards distinguished himself in some des- 



JEFFERSON S ADMINISTRATION. '^39 

perate contests with the Tripolitans ; and many years 
later, at the head of a squadron, he so intimidated 
all the Barbary States, that they never afterwards 
demanded tribute of Americans, or claimed the right 
to hold them as slaves. 

Jefferson's administration was conducted on a system 
very different, in some respects, from those of Wash- 
ington and Adams. His personal habits were very 
simple, and so were his views of government. Instead 
of going in a coach-and-six to the Capitol, as Washing- 
ton had done, Jefferson rode thither on horseback, on 
the day of his inauguration, dismounted, tied his horse 
to a post, and read his address. Afterwards he did not 
do even this, but sent a "message " to Congress by a 
secretary, as has been the practice ever since. He 
abolished the weekly levees, but, on New Year's Day 
and the Fourth of July, threw open his doors to the 
whole people. He would not have his birthday cele- 
brated, as had been the previous custom ; but concealed 
the day in order to prevent this. He reduced the 
expenses of the government as far as possible, and paid 
off thirty-three millions of debt. He believed strongly 
in universal suffrage, at least for all persons of the 
male sex. He thought that all men had a natural 
right to vote for their own rulers, and his party sus- 
tained him in this ; while the Federal party looked with 
great distrust on the system of government by popular 
vote, and believed that suffrage should be very care- 
fully limited. We must remember that in those days a 
republican government seemed, even to many patriotic 
Americans, a very doubtful experiment ; while Jefferson 
had a very hearty faith in it, and so did a great deal 



240 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

for its success. But party spirit ran very high then ; 
and there has been a great division of opinion, ever 
since, as to the wisdom of much that was done by 
Jefferson. 

One important event that happened during Jeffer- 
son's administration was the passage of a law forbid- 
ding the African slave-trade. This trade had existed 
ever since 1620, when the first slaves were brought 
into Virginia ; and it was agreed, when the Constitution 
was formed, that there should be no interference with 
the slave-trade until Jan. i, 1808. More than a year 
before that time. President Jefferson called the atten- 
tion of Congress to the subject, and congratulated the 
members that they would soon be able to forbid a traffic, 
" which," he said, " the morality, the reputation, and 
the best interests of the country, have long been eager 
to proscribe." Then arose a very exciting debate in 
Congress. No one was in favor of continuing the slave- 
trade, but there were great differences of opinion as to 
the way of putting it down ; and it was, moreover, 
pointed out, that, if it was right to hold slaves at all, it 
could not be wrong to import them. At last, under the 
lead of Josiah Quincy of Massachusetts, and others, a 
law was passed, forbidding the importation of slaves 
from any foreign country into the United States, after 
the year 1807. In spite of the law, however, slaves 
were secretly imported for many years, until treaties 
were made with other maritime countries, by which the 
slave-trade was declared to be piracy, and the navies of 
different nations united to break it up. But the slave- 
trade between the States of the American Union, not 
being prohibited by law, lasted till American slavery 
itself was abolished by the war of the Rebellion. 



THE FIRST STEAMBOAT. 



241 



The most important invention made in America dur- 
ing Jefferson's administration was that of the steam- 
boat. The first person to propose it was Thomas 
Paine, in 1778, during the Revolution. James Ramsey 
in 1784 built a vessel which reached a speed of three or 
four miles an hour, against the stream, on the Potomac. 
John Fitch built one, soon after, that was employed on 
the Delaware ; and 
he predicted, more- 
over, that steamships 
would one day cross 
the Atlantic. But 
these steamboats 
were not at all like 
those now built ; their 
engines being made 
upon a different prin- 
ciple. The first boat 
constructed on the 
present plan was 
launched upon the 
Hudson, by Robert 
Fulton, in 1807. While the vessel was being built, it 
was called " Fulton's Folly," and every one laughed at 
it. He himself wrote that no one had ever made to 
him a single encouraging remark about it. But, before 
the boat had gone a quarter of a mile, unbelievers were 
converted ; and the people who had collected to see 
the experiment began to shout with applause. The 
vessel was named the " Clermont," and made the trip 
from New York to Albany, at the rate of five miles an 
hour, against the wind and tide. As it moved, it sent 
16 




ROBERT FULTON. 



242 



YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



showers of sparks into the air. The noise of ma- 
chinery and paddles was very great ; and, when it passed 
other vessels, their sailors sometimes hid themselves 
below the deck, and knelt, praying for protection from 
this horrible monster. From this time forward, steam- 
boats rapidly multiplied, were greatly improved, and 
were soon in general use ; though it was not generally 
supposed, for a long time after, that they could safely 
cross the ocean. 




THE "CLERMONT." 

The vice-president under President Jefferson, at his 
first election, was Aaron Burr, who was one of the 
most brilliant men of that period. He and Jefferson 
had precisely the same number of votes for president ; 
so that the House of Representatives had to decide 
between them, as was the rule ; and, after a great many 
ballotings, Jefferson was chosen president, and Burr 
vice-president. Burr had distinguished himself as a 
soldier and as a statesman ; but he lost most of his 
popularity after he' had killed, in a duel, his political 
rival, Alexander Hamilton, who was much more be- 
loved than himself, and who had performed an im- 
portant part in establishing the government. Through 



SETTLEMENT OF OHIO. 243 

this unpopularity, Burr failed to be re-elected vice-presi- 
dent in Jefferson's second term ; and he was afterwards 
generally believed to have formed a plan to invade 
Mexico, and to separate several States from the Union. 
He was tried for treason on this charge, but was ac- 
quitted ; yet he never again was respected or trusted 
by the people. 

During Jefferson's administration, the State of Ohio 
was organized and admitted into the Union, in 1802, 
making the seventeenth State of the Union. The 
Ohio Valley had been visited by the French as early as 
1680 ; and it -has already been told how they and the 
English had contended for its possession through the 
period of " French and Indian Wars." It was aban- 
doned by the French in 1763, together with all their 
American possessions ; and, after the American Revo- 
lution, the question came up whether the Ohio Valley 
belonged to certain States which claimed it, or to the 
United States Government. Finally it was agreed 
that it should be surrendered to the United States, 
except certain small portions which were reserved by 
different States ; and the main part was then called 
"the North-west Territory." Even after this, there 
were frequent wars with the Indians ; so that the Ohio 
Valley was slowly settled. When it was at last organ- 
ized into a State, it still retained the name of the 
river, " the beautiful river," as the early French ex- 
plorer had called it. 

The State of Ohio had seemed very far west, down 
to the time of Jefferson ; and a man who had seen 
Lake Michigan or the mouth of the Missouri River 
was considered in those days a great traveller. But 



244 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

an event soon happened which opened the eyes of peo- 
ple to the vast extent of the American Continent and 
to the prospects of the American Union. This was 
the purchase of a vast and unexplored region, stretch- 
ing west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky 
Mountains, and called by the name of Louisiana. 

The history of the discovery of the Mississippi 
River is like a romance. It was first reached in 1541, 
as has been already told, by the Spaniards who had 
marched through the forests with De Soto. That 
great leader died, and was buried beneath its waters ; 
and for a century the river was almost forgotten. It 
hardly appeared on the Spanish maps ; and, when men 
spoke of it, they called it " The Unknown River." A 
hundred years after, the French explorers from Canada 
reached the rivers that flow into the Mississippi. 
La Salle, the most daring of them all, after trying 
again and again, — often setting ofif on his expeditions 
in the dead of winter, travelling on snow-shoes, living 
on buffalo-meat and the flesh of alligators, sometimes 
almost drowned amid floating ice, at other times 
almost killed by starvation and Indian cruelty, — at last 
descended the Illinois to the Mississippi, and floated 
down that stream to the Gulf of Mexico. There, at 
the mouth of the river, in the year 1682, he took pos- 
session of that whole region in the name of the French 
king, Louis XIV. ; named it Louisiana, after him ; and 
set up a column, on which the name of the king was 
inscribed, with the lilies, which were the arms of 
France. 

Almost a hundred years after that (in 1762), the 
French gave up Louisiana to the Spaniards ; and they, 



LOUISIANA PURCHASE. 245 

in turn, gave it up, in 1802, to Napoleon Bonaparte, who 
sold it the following year, even before he had taken 
possession of it, to President Jefferson, for the United 
States Government. The price paid was fifteen million 
dollars. What is now the State of Louisiana was but a 
little part of the vast territory which then bore that 
name ; for this territory extended from the Mississippi 
to the Rocky Mountains, and from the British Posses- 
sions on the north, to Mexico on the south. The new 
purchase comprised nearly nine hundred thousand 
square miles (899,579), whereas the whole domain of 
the original thirteen colonies was not much more than 
eight hundred thousand square miles (820,680). Thus 
the purchase of what was called Louisiana more than 
doubled the area of the national territory. 

When we consider how little explored, even to this 
day, is much of this great territory west of the Missis- 
sippi, we can imagine what an unknown world it must 
have seemed, seventy years ago, when only its out- 
skirts had been visited by white men. But, when Presi- 
dent Jefferson had once secured it for the American 
nation, he was much too energetic to leave it unex- 
plored. He desired to know what the formation of the 
country was, what great rivers watered it, what its 
animals and plants and minerals were, and, above all, 
what tribes of Indians were to be found there, — 
whether they were disposed to be warlike or peaceful, 
and whether they would sell the title to their lands. 
So the president sent out his private secretary, Capt. 
Meriwether Lewis, together with Capt. William Clark, 
to conduct an exploring expedition to the Rocky 
Mountains. There were thirty men in all ; and they 



246 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

carried with them provisions, camp-equipage, fire-arms, 
and presents for the Indian tribes. They left St. Louis, 
which was then a mere trading-post, in the autumn of 
1803, and were gone between two and three years, 
encamping three winters in the wilderness. They 
ascended the Missouri River in boats to the great 
falls, which no white man had then visited ; then 
traced the river to its sources in what were then called 
the Stony Mountains ; and there, finding a rivulet 
flowing toward the west, they followed it until they 
reached the Pacific Ocean. The river they descended 
was one whose mouth had before been visited by a 
Boston trader, Capt. Robert Gray ; and he had named 
it, after one of his vessels, the " Columbia." This Cap- 
tiin Gray was the first man to carry the American 
flag round the world by water, as Lewis and Clark 
were the first to carry it across the continent by land. 

After reaching the Pacific, the party returned, as- 
cending the Columbia River, and crossing the moun- 
tains once more. President Jefferson wrote, in regard 
to their return, "Never did a similar event excite more 
joy throughout the United States. The humblest of 
its citizens had taken a lively interest in the issue of 
the journey, and looked forward with impatience for 
the information it would furnish." And indeed the 
travellers could tell of many wonders, when their narra- 
tive was published. They told of finding the buffalo so 
abundant, that, in one case, a herd occupied the whole 
breadth of a river a mile wide, and the party had to 
stop for an hour to see the animals pass by. They 
described Indian tribes before unknown, — the Man- 
dans, Shoshones, and others. They reported some of 



LEWIS AND CLARK S EXPEDITION. 247 

these tribes as being wretchedly poor and destitute, 
and others as having good houses, excellent guns, and 
such a plenty of horses, that a traveller could at any 
time buy one for a few beads. These Indians knew so 
little of civilized habits, that one chief was very grate- 
ful for some dried squashes, and said that they made 
the best food he had ever tasted, except sugar, of 
which he had once eaten a single lump. He said that 
he should be very happy if he lived in a country that 
produced so many nice things. The white explorers 
learned, that, by trading with the Indians, they could 
obtain a great supply of valuable furs ; and a New 
York merchant, named John Jacob Astor, soon estab- 
lished a trading-post, called Astoria, at the mouth of 
Columbia River. But this post was afterwards sold to 
one of the British fur-companies ; and it was not till 
many years later, that any part of the Pacific slope was 
recognized as belonging permanently to the United 
States. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

MADISON .AND MONROE, THE WAR OF l8l2, AND THE 
ERA OF GOOD FEELING, 



THE next president was James Madison of Virginia. 
He had been a member of the convention that 
had framed the Constitution ; and he served as presi- 
dent for two terms, 
or eight years, — 
from 1809 to 18 1 7. 
When he was in- 
augurated, he 
found the nation 
involved in dis- 
putes with the Brit- 
ish Government, 
about the right of 
searching Ameri- 
can vessels, and 
the restrictions 
laid on American 
commerce. These 
disputes remained 
unsettled ; and at 
last, June 18, 18 12, the Congress of the United States, 
by a large majority, declared war against England. 
248 




JAMES MADISON. 



MADISON S ADMINISTRATION. 249 

There was a great deal of opposition to the war, as it 
was thought by many to be quite unnecessary ; and 
many even thought that the offences committed by 
England were not so great as those of France. This 
increased the hostility between the Democrats, who 
favored France, and the Federalists, who liked England 
better ; and at one time some members of this last 
party held a convention at Hartford, Conn., in order to 
oppose the prolongation of the war. 

But the war went on, though at first the American 
troops were quite unsuccessful. There was an attempt 
to conquer Canada ; but General Hull had finally to 
surrender Detroit to the British troops ; and General 
Van Rensselaer was also defeated. The Indians took 
an important part against the Americans in this war, 
under a chief named Tecumseh, who formed a plan to 
unite the various Indian tribes against the whites, as 
had been attempted by Pontiac half a century before. 
Even before the war with England, Tecumseh had led 
his Indians against the Americans, and had been de- 
feated by General Harrison at Tippecanoe ; and this 
made him strive more desperately to unite the Indian 
tribes with the English troops. He took an active part 
in many battles, but was killed at last. 

But, while the United States army was rather unsuc- 
cessful, the navy obtained great honor in the War of 
18 1 2. The frigate " Constitution," under Captain Hull, 
took the British frigate " Guerriere ; " and there were 
other important American successes. On the other 
hand, the British frigate " Shannon " captured the 
United States frigate " Chesapeake," at the mouth of 
Boston harbor ; and the brave Captain Lawrence, the 



250 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



commander of the " Chesapeake," was killed, exclaim- 
ing as he died, " Don't give up the ship ! " Afterwards, 
on Lake Erie, there was a contest (Sept. 10, 18 13) 
between a British squadron of six vessels, and an 
American squadron of nine ; these last being under 
command of Lieut. O. H. Perry. His flag-ship was 
named the " Lawrence," after the brave captain of the 
"Chesapeake;" and his f\og had inscribed upon it 

the dying words of 
Lawrence. But this 
ship was almost de- 
stroyed in the fight ; 
and Perry, getting 
into an open boat, 
transferred his flag 
to a second ship, 
and gained the vic- 
tory. When the 
British ships sur- 
rendered. Perry 
wrote to his com- 
manding officer, on 
the back of an old 
letter, " We have 
met the enemy, and 
they are ours." This is said to have been the first 
instance in the history of the British navy of the sur- 
render of an entire squadron. Later in the war, Capt. 
David Porter fought the " Essex " against two British 
vessels, for two hours and a half, and only surrendered 
when his frigate was burning under him. 

The war lasted nearly three years ; and in the last 




LIEUTENANT I'EKKS'. 



BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 



251 



year (1814), the British troops took and plundered 
many towns on the southern coast, and finally burned 
the Capitol and the president's house at Washington. 
They also attacked New Orleans, which was defended 
by Gen. Andrew Jackson, with a much smaller force 
than that brought against it. He built breastworks of 
cotton-bales, and fought from behind them, repulsing 




the attacking army of twelve thousand, with the loss 
of but seven Americans killed. This happened Jan. 8, 
1815, and was the last battle of the war; indeed, the 
treaty of Ghent had been signed a fortnight before 
the battle (Dec. 24, 1814) ; making peace between the 
two nations, though the news of this peace had not yet 
reached the armies at New Orleans. It is a remarka- 



252 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES, 

ble fact, that the treaty of Ghent said not a word in 
regard to the right of search on board of American 
vessels, the very thing about which tlie war had been 
chiefly waged. But the bravery and success of the 
United States navy had virtually settled that dispute ; 
and no further trouble ever arose about it. Thus 
ended the "War of 181 2," sometimes called the "Late 
War," between the United States and Great Britain. 
Since that time, in spite of some temporary disagree- 
ments, there has been peace between the two great 
English-speaking nations ; and it is to be hoped that it 
will always continue. 

For a long time after this, the United States seemed 
very peaceful and prosperous. For thirty years there 
was no war; and the feeling of hostility between 
political parties gradually diminished. The population 
of the country in 1810 was more than seven millions, 
(7,239,881) ; and after this it went on increasing more 
rapidly. The new States and Territories of the West 
were being opened for settlement. A great national 
road had been built from Cumberland, Md., to Wheel- 
ing, Va. ; and along this road a perpetual stream of 
wagons poured into Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. 
Other emigrants went westward and southward by the 
new steamboats just introduced on the Ohio and Mis- 
sissippi. Others went on rafts and barges, carrying all 
their household goods with them. The forests still 
covered all Ohio ; and there were almost no roads, so 
that water-communication was the chief dependence. 
A whole neighborhood would unite, and build a flat- 
boat to send their produce to New Orleans ; the boat- 
men perhaps walking home again. Other emigrants 



MONROE S ADMINISTRATION. 253 

went round by sea to the distant mouth of the Cokun- 
bia River, on the Pacific, where John Jacob Astor had 
established his trading-post. Then more and more 
people arrived from Europe. More than twenty-two 
thousand came in 1817, the last year of Madison's 
administration, — twice as many as had arrived during 
the previous year. It seemed an enormous number 
then, though it would seem but a small number now. 
Thus the whole nation was in a state of activity and 
growth. Two new States, Louisiana (18 12) and Indiana 
(1816), were added to the Union during Madison's 
administration ; these making nineteen in all. Louisiana 
was formed out of the southern part of the great terri- 
tory purchased from France a few years before. This 
southern part had previously been called " The Territory 
of Orleans ; " but the name of Louisiana was the old 
name that the French had given it, in honor of Louis, 
king of France. The name of Indiana came from the 
Indians, who still inhabited that region. 

The next president was James Monroe of Virginia 
(1817-1825), who had fought in the Revolutionary War, 
and had been Secretary of State under Madison. His 
administration was often called " the era of good feel- 
ing," because party strife, as well as war, for a time 
had died away. There was, however, much trouble 
with the Seminole Indians in Florida ; for, though 
Florida was not yet a part of the United States, it lay 
just beyond the border of Georgia ; and the Indians 
of Florida, many of whom had married fugitive slaves, 
were often committing depredations on the frontier. 
General Jackson in vain endeavored to subdue them, 
and, in the effort to do it, marched his troops into 



254 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

Florida, though it was still a Spanish colony. This 
led to a dispute with Spain, which was finally settled 
by a treaty made in 1819, giving Florida to the United 
States, five million dollars being paid for it. This 
made another addition of nearly sixty-seven thousand 
square miles (66,900) to the area of the United States, 
though Florida was not admitted as a separate State 
for many years. 

But in this era of good feeling there was arising a 
cause of trouble far greater than any that had afflicted 
the young nation before. That source of difficulty was 
slavery. Ever since the first shipload of slaves had 
been brought to Virginia, in 1620, slavery had become 
more and more thoroughly the settled system of the 
Southern States of the Union ; and the Northern 
States had been more and more disposed to regard it 
as an evil. When the Constitution was formed, it was 
supposed that slavery was a thing that would soon die 
out, and that the main source of dispute would be a 
jealousy between the large and small States of the 
Union. But this proved to be a great mistake ; and 
the hostility that arose was between the free and the 
slave States. During Monroe's administration, new 
States were rapidly formed out of the vast unsettled 
region of the West ; and it became a matter of much 
importance whether they should come in with slavery 
or without. For a time it happened that free States 
and slave States came in alternately; since the " Or- 
dinance of 1787" excluded slavery from the North- 
western Territory, while the South-western Territories 
had introduced it. Thus, after Indiana, came Missis- 
sippi (in 1817), a free State and a slave State; after 



MISSOURI COMPROMISE. 



255 



It 



Illinois (1818), came Alabama (1819), a free State and 
a slave State ; after Maine (1820), came Missouri 
(182 1 ), a free State and a slave State ; all these being 
admitted during Mr. Monroe's administration. But 
there came a struggle over the admission of this last 
State, Missouri, showing that the era of good feeling 
had come to an end. The Northern members of Con- 
gress declared that it was wrong and unwise that there 
should be another slave State in the Union. The 
Southern members declared, that as there were many 
such States already, and the Constitution protected 
them, so there must be more of them to preserve the 
balance of power ; and they claimed, that, whenever 
a free State was admitted, a slave State ought properly 
to come in also. Between these two opinions there 
arose a great and angry contest. 

Thus the era of good feeling under Monroe proved 
to be only a calm between two storms. The old 
political disputes were at an end : and a new contest 
about slavery was beginning, — a contest that was 
destined to convulse the land for nearly half a century. 
All the arguments for and against slavery were brought 
up in the Missouri discussion. It was said that slavery 
was inhuman ; that no man could rightfully hold prop- 
erty in his brother-man ; that the relation between 
master and slave was demoralizing to both ; that it was 
a cruel wrong to sell people at auction, and to break up 
families ; and that the founders of the Republic, as 
Washington and Jefferson, had opposed slavery, and 
had wished to get rid of it. On the other hand, the 
friends of slavery said, that, even if Washington and 
Jefiferson were opposed to it in theory, they, neverthe- 



256 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

less, kept their own slaves ; that the Constitution recog- 
nized and defended slavery ; that it was the best con- 
dition for the colored people ; that white men could 
not work out of doors in hot climates ; and that cotton 
and sugar could be raised in no other way. There 
was great excitement over the dispute ; and finally it 
ended in a compromise. It was agreed by Congress 
that Missouri should come in as a slave State, but that 
slavery should be elsewhere prohibited in new States 
north of 36° 30' north latitude ; this being the line of 
the southern border of Missouri. South of this, the 
people of each new State might have slavery or not, 
as they might prefer. This was the famous "Missouri 
Compromise " of 1820. Like compromises of principle 
generally, it only postponed the evil day. At the time 
of that agreement, slavery was comparatively weak, and 
might have been abolished, or at least restricted by the 
nation. By letting it grow, it was allowed to reach 
such power, that it required for its abolition a great civil 
war, and the lives of many thousand men. 

Still it was supposed, for a time, that the slavery 
question had been finally settled by this compromise ; 
and there were other questions, about tariffs and banks, 
that were generally considered much more important. 
When General La Fayette came from France to revisit 
the young nation for whose freedom he had fought, 
everybody greeted him with enthusiasm ; and the nation 
seemed quiet and at peace. This was just before Mr. 
Monroe retired from office. 

He left the nation with five new States added to the 
Union, as has already been said. Of these, Illinois 
had been previously a part of Indiana ; and the word 



GROWTH OF THE NATION. 



257 



" Illinois " was the name of an Indian tribe, and meant 
"The Men." Mississippi and Alabama were both made 
out of the old Mississippi Territory, which also took 
its name from a river ; the Indian word meaning "The 
Great River." The words "Alabama " and " Missouri " 
were both taken 
from rivers ; the 
latter name mean- 
ing "Muddy Wa- 
ters." All these 
States had been 
originally ex- 
plored and settled 
by the French. As 
for the State of 
Main e, it w a s 
formed out of 
Massachusetts, of 
which it had been 
a district ; and it 
is generally sup- 
posed to have been 
named in honor of 
Henrietta Maria, 
queen of Charles I., who owned the province of Maine, 
in France. Others think that this name was given be- 
cause it was the mainland, as distinguished from the 
numerous islands along the coast. These new States 
made the number twenty-four in all, — almost twice 
as many as " the old thirteen." At the census taken in 
1820, the population of the United States was about 
nine and a half millions (9,638,453). 




GENERAL LA FAVETTE. 



258 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

Monroe's administration had expressed great sym- 
pathy for the new republics formed in South America, 
and had announced the opinion that the United States 
should thenceforward never allow any European gov- 
ernment to plant a colony on the soil of North or 
South America, or to interfere in American affairs, but 
that the people of the different parts of the continent 
should govern themselves. This has always been called 
" the Monroe doctrine," and is considered one of the 
most important results of this president's administra- 
tion. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

ADAMS AND JACKSON. INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

NULLIFICATION AND TIJE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT. 



JOHN QUINCy ADAMS of Massachusetts was the 
next president, serving one term, — from 1825 to 
1829. All the previous presidents had taken part in 
the Revolutionary War, or in founding the government : 
but John Quincy 
Adams belonged to 
a younger genera- 
tion, and had been 
but nine years old 
when his father had 
signed the Declara- 
tion of Independ- 
ence, and when he 
himself had heard 
it read from the 
State House in Bos- 
ton. Since then, 
the young nation 
had freed and es- 
tablished itself, and 
had widened its bounds, and was at peace. During the 
administration of Mr. Adams, much was done to open 

259 




JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 



26o YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

the interior of the country for settlement. Ahnost all 
the Indian tribes had been removed west of the Mis- 
sissippi ; and their lands had been bought by the gov- 
ernment. A great system of canals had been begun, 
affording better means of communication than any that 
had before existed. Chief among these was the Erie 
Canal, which connected Lake Erie with the harbor of 
New York. It was completed in 1825 ; and Gov. De 
Witt Clinton of New York, who had planned it, and 
had himself dug the first spadeful of earth, was con- 
veyed the whole distance in a barge, amid the ringing 
of bells and the discharge of cannon. After this, pop- 
ulation poured rapidly into the interior of New York 
State ; and, wherever canals were built, towns and vil- 
lages grew up. 

It was during Mr. Adams's presidency, moreover, 
that the first railroad in America was built, in 1827, — 




FIRST RAILROAD TRAIN. 



a road of three miles only, leading from the granite 
quarries to the wharves at Quincy, Mass. The cars 
were drawn by horses ; and the first locomotive engine 
was not used until two years later, when it was imported 
from England, where such engines had only just been 
introduced. This first engine only averaged about four- 
teen miles an hour, and was regarded as a great curios- 
ity. Many people predicted in America, as they had in 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 26 1 

England, that it would never be able to move its own 
weight, but that the wheels would spin round and round 
upon the rail. Others thought, that, if it succeeded, it 
would destroy the value of farming-lands by frightening 
all the animals, and would stop the raising of sheep, 
because their wool would be so blackened by the 
smoke. They were very much surprised when they saw 
locomotives running peaceably, and without causing any 
of these disasters. 

During John Quincy Adams's administration, his 
father, Ex-President John Adams, died ; and Ex-Presi- 
dent Jefferson died on the same day. As they had 
grown older, these two eminent statesmen had become 
friends, and had outlived all the disputes between 
Federalist and Democrat. They used constantly to 
write friendly letters to each other ; and, by a sin- 
gular coincidence, the day on which they died was 
July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration 
of Independence, which they both had signed. The 
last words said by Jefferson were, " Is this the Fourth? " 
and the last words of Adams were thought to be, 
" Thomas Jefferson still lives." A patriotic celebration 
was being held in the village where Mr. Adams lived ; 
and he had sent to it a toast : " Independence forever." 
As he lay dying, at' sunset time, those who watched by 
his bed could hear the distant shouting at the village, 
when the people had heard the old man's last message. 

One public question, about which there was great 
difference of opinion at that time, was in regard to the 
amount of duty to be placed on goods imported from 
foreign countries. Such a system of duties is called 
a "tariff;" and there is a difference of opinion in 



262 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



America to this day about- it. There are those who 
think that a high tariff, or duty, should be put on cer- 
tain manufactured goods, in order to keep out foreign 
goods, and protect American manufactures. There are 
others who think that trade should be entirely free, and 
that there should be no duties or custom-houses at all. 
Between these, there are people of all shades of 
opinion, even now, as there were in Mr. Adams's time. 
But he favored a higher tariff than his opponent ; and 
this was one chief reason why he failed of re-election 
after his first term of office. 

Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was the next presi- 
dent, serving two terms, — from 1829 to 1837. He had 

been well known 
as an army officer, 
from the time when 
he built up the cot- 
ton breastworks at 
New Orleans, and 
repulsed the British 
army by firing from 
behind them. He 
was a man of great 
courage, honesty, 
and energy, though 
somewhat narrow 
and violent. While 
he was president, 
there grew up much 
discontent in the 
Southern States with regard to the tariff. In South Car- 
olina especially, it was thought that the duties imposed 




ANDREW JACKSON. 



NULLIFICATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 263 

were altogether too favorable to Northern manufactur- 
ers ; and finally a convention was held in the State, in 
1832, to plan secession from the Union. It was decided 
that no duties should be paid in South Carolina after a 
certain day ; and that, if the United States Government 
attempted to enforce such payment. South Carolina 
should organize a separate government. At the head 
of this organization was to be placed Mr. Calhoun, the 
vice-president of the United States. Medals were made 
with the inscription, "John C. Calhoun, First President 
of the Southern Confederacy." Blue cockades were 
worn in the streets, with a button in the centre, bearing 
a palmetto, the symbol chosen for the new nation. All 
this was called "nullification." Preparation for armed 
resistance was also made. But President Jackson issued 
a proclamation announcing, "to say that any State may 
at pleasure secede from the Union is to say that the 
United States are not a nation." At the same time, 
additional troops and vessels of war were quickly sent 
to South Carolina, and placed under the command of 
Gen. Winfield Scott ; and, soon after, Congress passed 
a law for a gradual reduction of the duties of which 
South Carolina complained. After this the threats of 
South Carolina were withdrawn ; and the danger of civil 
war for that time passed by. 

During President Jackson's term of office, several 
of the remaining Indian tribes were removed west of 
the Mississippi, including the Sacs and Foxes, the 
Chickasaws and Choctaws. But the Seminoles in 
Florida refused to remove ; and a war was carried on 
with them for a long time in the swamps of that region, 
— the " Everglades " as they are called. Many fugitive 



264 VOUNG folks' united STATES. 

slaves had escaped to these swamps, and had intermar- 
ried with the Indians. These slaves and their children 
were called Maroons. The principal Indian chief, a 
half-breed named Osceola, had a Maroon wife, born in 
the Everglades ; and once, when she went with him to 
one of the United States forts, she was seized as a 
slave by the former owner of her mother. Osceola 
was placed in irons while she was taken away into 
captivity ; and, after his release, he pledged himself to 
vengeance against the whites. He was accordingly the 
leader of the Indians in war, till he was treacherously 
seized under a flag of truce ; and he was then confined 
in a fort until his death. The war was continued 
for many years, at a great cost of money and life, until 
the tribe was almost extinct ; but the expense of the 
contest had been more than three times as much as 
had been paid to the Spanish Government for the 
whole of Florida. 

This Florida war, having been waged largely against 
fugitive slaves, only increased the excitement on the 
question of slavery. During General Jackson's admin- 
istration, a man named Benjamin Lundy, a Quaker, 
began a newspaper, called " The Genius of Universal 
Emancipation," urging that the slaves should be gradu- 
ally freed. This did not attract much attention; but 
in 183 1 a young man named William Lloyd Garrison, 
who had been Lundy's assistant editor, established a 
weekly paper in Boston, called "The Liberator," whose 
open aim was immediate, unconditional emancipation. 
This made a great excitement all over the country. 
The legislature of Georgia offered five thousand dollars 
for the head of Garrison ; and the governor of Massa- 



THE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT. 265 

chusetts (Edward Everett) expressed in his annual mes- 
sage the opinion that the abolitionists might be prose- 
cuted in the courts. Mr. Garrison had, however, said, 
in his paper, " I will not equivocate ; I will not excuse ; 
I will not retreat a single inch ; and I will be heard." 
The excitement was much increased by an insurrection 
that took place in Virginia, headed by a slave named 
Nat Turner, who, with a band of associates, went from 
house to house, putting whole families to death. Mr. 
Garrison was opposed to this, and to all war and to 
all bloodshed ; but the insurrection was, nevertheless, 
attributed to his teachings. Turner was at last arrested, 
tried, and executed. After this, the New England Anti- 
slavery Society, which was founded by Garrison in 1832, 
exerted more and more influence. Other societies were 
founded in different parts of the country. To resist all 
such agitation. President Jackson urged Congress to 
pass a law excluding antislavery publications from the 
mails ; but the bill was finally defeated. 

President Jackson was made popular with many peo- 
ple by the energy and firmness he had shown in several 
cases, especially in dealing with South Carolina, and in 
preventing, by his veto, the establishment of a national 
bank, to which his party was much opposed. He was, 
however, much disliked by many, for these same acts ; 
and there was much party excitement while he was in 
power. He also made himself unpopular by remov- 
ing from office, in many cases, those opposed to his 
administration, and appointing his political supporters 
to the places thus left vacant. This practice had never 
before existed on any large scale ; but it has, unfortu- 
nately, continued ever since. The nation was, however, 



266 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

prosperous, and out of debt ; and indeed there was a 
surplus of revenue, so that there was a sum of money to 
be distributed among the States. The census taken in 
1830, under Jackson's administration, sliowed a popu- 
lation of nearly thirteen millions (12,866,020), — more 
than three times what it had been during the presi- 
dency of Washington. Under Jackson, moreover, two 
new States were added to the Union, — Arkansas (1836), 
formed from a portion of the great Louisiana purchase, 
and named for a tribe of Indians now extinct ; and 
Michigan (1837), named from Indian words meaning 
"great lake." Michigan was formed from a part of 
the old North-west Territory, early explored and settled 
by the French ; and, as slavery had been prohibited in 
all that territory by the "Ordinance of 1787," Michi- 
gan came in as a free State ; but Arkansas came in as 
a slave State. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

VAN BUREN, HARRISON, TYLER, AND THE ANNEXATION 
OF TEXAS. 



THE next president was Martin Van Buren of New 
York (1837-1841). Like General Jackson befoie 
him, he was the candidate of the Democratic party, 
which differed from the Whig party, as the opposition 
party was now called, 
mainly in insisting 
more on the rights of 
the separate States, 
and less on those of 
the General Govern- 
ment. During Mr. 
Van Buren's admin- 
istration, there was 
great excitement on 
the Canadian fron- 
tier, because of a re- 
bellion against the 
British Government 
in Canada. Many 
people in the States 
bordering on Canada sympathized with this rebellion ; 
but the American Government discouraged all active 
assistance, as being contrary to international law. The 
rebellion was finally subdued. 267 




MARllN \/ 



268 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

But there was an excitement which kept on increas- 
ing in the United States during all President Van 
Buren's time, and was far more important than the 
Canadian rebellion. This was the antislavery agitation, 
which grew steadily greater, and was often resisted by 
mobs and violence, even in the free States. A slave 
child named Med, who had been brought by her master 
into Boston, was declared free by the Supreme Court of 
the State, as not being a fugitive ; and several similar 
triumphs were obtained. On the other hand, a meet- 
ing of the Boston Female Antislavery Society was 
broken up by a mob, while the mayor declared himself 
unable to protect it ; and Mr. Garrison, who had at- 
tempted to address the society, was dragged through 
the streets with a rope' round his body, and was finally 
saved by the police, who lodged him in jail for protec- 
tion. A public hall in Philadelphia, called Pennsyl- 
vania Hall, where the national convention of antislavery 
women had met, was burned. Schools for colored chil- 
dren in New Hampshire and Connecticut were broken 
up. At Alton, 111., Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, who edited 
an antislavery newspaper, was killed by a mob. In 
Congress, a plan was brought forward for the annexa- 
tion of Texas, then an independent Republic ; and, as 
it was seen that this measure would have the effect of 
strengthening slavery, petitions were poured into Con- 
gress by the thousand, many of them signed by women, 
against it. Great efforts were made to exclude these 
petitions ; and Ex-President John Quincy Adams spoke 
an hour a day, for twelve days, amid constant inter- 
ruptions, in behalf of the petitioners. The annexation 
of Texas was for the time defeated ; but a rule was 



TIPPECANOE AND TYLER TOO. 269 

adopted by Congress, and for ten years remained in 
force, excluding all petitions on any subject pertaining 
to slavery. 

While Mr. Van Buren was president, there was great 
commercial distress, and there were many failures 
among men of business ; and this was one great reason 
why he was not re-elected, but was defeated after his 
first term. No new States were added during his 
administration ; but when the census was taken (in 
1840) it was found that the population of the country 
had increased to seventeen millions (17,069,453), — 
more than four times the population of Washington's 
time. 

The general discontent of the nation over business 
troubles, during Mr. Van Buren's administration, led to 
a great excitement as to the choice of his successor. 
Gen. William Henry Harrison of Ohio, who had fought 
Tecumseh and his Indians bravely thirty years before, 
was nominated for president by the Whigs. As he came 
from what was then the Far West, some one gave him 
the name of "The Log-Cabin Candidate ;" and all over 
the country log-cabins were soon built for political 
meetings ; and there were political celebrations, at which, 
cider was the only beverage, this being a favorite drink 
among farmers. There were many songs composed 
and sung at these gatherings, — songs about "the hero 
of Tippecanoe " and about " Tippecanoe and Tyler 
too ; " John Tyler being the candidate for vice-presi- 
dent. In short, it was the liveliest political campaign 
that had ever been known ; and the end of it was the 
election, by an overwhelming vote, of General Harrison, 
who was inaugurated president in 1841, 



270 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

General Harrison lived less than a month after his 
inauguration ; and Vice-President John Tyler of Vir- 
ginia became president for the remainder of the four 
years (1841-1845). During his administration, the 
nation was at peace with foreign countries, though war 
was at one time threatened between the United States 
and Great Britain, because of a dispute about the 
boundary-line between Maine and New Brunswick. A 
treaty was at last made (in 1842), by Lord Ashburton 
in behalf of England, and by Daniel Webster for 
America ; and this settled the question of the boundary. 
Then there were internal troubles in several of the 
States. In Rhode Island (in 1843), there was a revolt 
against the old colonial charter under which the State 
had always been governed ; and, after a brief military 
contest known as the " Dorr War," the rebellion was 
defeated, though a new constitution was adopted at 
last, in consequence of it. In New York, along the 
Hudson River, where the estates of the old Dutch 
" patroons " lay, the tenants who occupied these estates 
grew unwilling to pay rent to the descendants of the 
early proprietors, and there was armed resistance for a 
• time. There was also much disturbance in Illinois, 
where the religious sect called the " Mormons," or 
" Latter-Day Saints," who had built a city called Nau- 
voo, were assailed repeatedly by mobs. The Mormon 
sect had been founded fourteen years before, by a man 
named Joseph Smith, who claimed to have discovered 
abook, called "The Book of Mormon," written on gold 
plates that were found buried in the earth. The Mor- 
mons first established themselves in Missouri, were 
driven thence by mob violence to Illinois, and thence 



ANNEXATION OF TEXAS. 27 1 

to the Territory of Utah, where they made for them- 
selves a settlement in the wilderness, and still remain. 

One new State was admitted into the Union dur- 
ing Mr. Tyler's administration, — Florida. As has 
already been told, Florida contained older European 
settlements than any part of the nation to which it 
was annexed ; St. Augustine even dating back to the 
early Spanish colony of 1565. Florida had been 
alternately claimed by the Spaniards, the French, and 
the English, and had been finally ceded by Spain to 
the United States in 18 19. For many years it was 
governed only as a Territory ; but in 1845 it was admitted 
as a State. Its name came from the day on which it 
was first explored, Easter Sunday, called by the Span- 
iards Pascua Florida, or Flowery Easter. 

But Mr. Tyler's administration will be chiefly remem- 
bered as having brought about the annexation to the 
United States of a foreign State, — the State of Texas. 
Texas had been first explored by La Salle, in 1684, 
when looking for the mouth of the Mississippi. From 
that time forth, it had been almost constantly the scene 
of war between hostile claimants. First the Spaniards 
and French contested for it, and established rival 
" missions," or religious settlements. Then the large 
province of Texas revolted from Mexico, and declared 
itself an independent State. Many Americans took 
part in obtaining the independence of Texas ; for sev- 
eral large American colonies had been established 
there, and these Americans had carried their slaves 
with them ; whereas Mexico had before abolished 
slavery. Thus there was much sympathy for Texas in 
the South-western States of the American Union ; and 



272 yOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

there was a strong desire to annex it to the United 
States. On the other hand, the free States were gen- 
erally much opposed to its admission, as it was frankly- 
admitted by Mr. Calhoun, the great leader of the pro- 
slavery party, that the object of the measure was " to 
uphold the interests of slavery, extend its influence, 
and secure its permanent duration." This seemed 
very likely to prove true, because Texas was an im- 
mense region, including three hundred and eighteen 
thousand square miles, and being thus one-third as large 
as the original thirteen States combined, forty times as 
large as Massachusetts, and more than twice as large 
as the great States of New York, Pennsylvania, and 
Ohio put together. If, now, all this were to be ad- 
mitted as slave territory, it seemed as if freedom would 
be entirely outvoted in the government forever. This 
accounts for the great opposition that was made to 
the annexation of Texas, which, however, finally took 
place at the end of Mr. Tyler's administration. A 
joint resolution for this purpose passed the United 
States House of Representatives Feb. 25, 1845, ^^^ 
the United States Senate March i ; and it was approved 
by the president on the very day it passed the Senate, 
— three days before he went out of office. A great 
territory was thus added to the nation, in return for 
which the United States assumed the Texas debt of 
seven and a half million dollars. This seemed to many 
people, at that time, to be a great sum to pay for a very 
doubtful advantage ; and it was often said that the word 
" Texas " was only " Taxes " with the letters differently 
arranged. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

POLK AND THE MEXICAN WAR. 

JAMES K. POLK of Tennessee was president of 
the United States for the next four years (1845- 
i«49) ; and the report of his election was the first news 
ever transmitted by telegraph in America, being sent on 
the new line which Professor Morse had just completed 
between Washington and Baltimore. Mr. Polk was the 
candidate of the Democratic party ; and he was opposed 
by the Whig party and the new party called the " Lib- 
erty " party, which was formed to resist the influence of 
slavery. Mr. Polk's election turned mainly on the ques- 
tion of the annexation of Texas, though this was finally 
settled just before he came into power. There was 
also a question, which, for a time, caused much anxiety, 
as to the possession of Oregon. 

The American Government had made claim to 
Oregon, because an American captain had discovered 
the Columbia River, and an American expedition, 
Lewis and Clark's, had explored it. But that whole 
region had been practically under control of the 
British fur companies ; and, though many Americans 
had settled there, it had always been disputed territory. 
In 1846, however, under President Polk, a treaty was 
made which divided this great region. The United 
iS 273 



2 74 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

States had claimed as far north as 54° 40' north lati- 
tude ; and " Fifty-four forty, or fight," was a favorite 
electioneering motto in the presidential campaign. But 
it was finally agreed that the line should be drawn at 
/|9°. All north of this was given to Great Britain ; and 
all south, including more than three hundred thousand 
(308,052) square miles, to the United States. Thus the 
western boundary question was peacefully settled, as 
the north-eastern boundary question had been settled 
just before ; and this did much credit to Mr. Polk's 
admmistration, and gave satisfaction to almost all. 

But the other great event of Mr. Polk's administra- 
tion was something about which people were not at all 
agreed, and which many, especially in the Northern 
States, regarded as a great calamity, — the Mexican 
War. When the United States had annexed Texas, 
the nation found that it had still another question of 
boundary on its hands. Texas claimed that its western 
boundary was the Rio Grande, and Mexico claimed that 
it was the River Nueces ; and, as these rivers were a 
hundred miles apart, there was a wide range of disputed 
territory between. The United States took up the cause 
of Texas ; and General Taylor was sent to the disputed 
ground with a small army. The Mexicans, also, sent 
troops thither ; and fighting soon began, first in a small 
way, then in some larger battles, at Palo Alto and 
Resaca de la Palma, in which the Americans were suc- 
cessful. Then General Taylor crossed the Rio Grande, 
and took Matamoras, which was within undisputed 
Mexican territory. 

There was much excitement in Washington on hear- 
ing this news. Congress voted thus, May 11, 1845, 



THE MEXICAN WAR. 



275 



" By the act of the Republic of Mexico, war exists 
between that government and the United States ; " 
though the Whig members declared that the war was 
not really begun by Mexico, but by General Taylor. 
Congress also voted ten million dollars for the war, and 
resolved to raise fifty thousand volunteers. There was 
not much sympathy for the war in the Eastern States ; 
but the South-western States, which were nearest the 
scene of excitement, sent many volunteers to the aid of 
General Taylor. At last his army reached nearly 
seven thousand men ; and with this he took, in three 
days, the fortified town of Monterey, garrisoned by ten 
thousand Mexi- 
cans. Then Gen- 
eral Santa Anna, 
who had formerly 
been President of 
Mexico, and was 
regarded as the 
best soldier of that 
Republic, took 
command of the 
Mexican army, but 
was beaten by 
General Taylor, 
with a much small- 
er force, at Buena 
Vista. Then Gen- 
eral Scott was 
sent, with an addi- 
tional army, to attack the principal port and fortress of 
Mexico, Vera Cruz, with the hope of thus penetrating to 




GENERAL SCOTT. 



276 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



the capital of the country, and " conquering a peace." 
He, accordingly, with twelve thousand men, bombarded 
Vera Cruz ; and it was surrendered, with the fortress of 
San Juan d'Ulloa, the strongest fortress on the conti- 
nent, except that of Quebec. A fleet under Commodore 
Matthew C. Perry also assisted in this attack. Then 
the American army advanced toward the capital, over- 




BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. — REPULSE OF MEXICAN LANCERS. 

coming all difficulties, and winning a series of daring 
victories on the way, always against great superiority of 
numbers. Among these battles were those of Cerro 
Gordo, Churubusco, El Molino del Rey, and Chapul- 
tepec ; and the Americans finally took possession of 
the city of Mexico, Sept. 14, 1847. It was a city of 
a hundred and forty thousand inhabitants ; and the 



END OF THE WAR. 277 

army that entered it consisted of less than six thousand 
men. 

Meanwhile the Mexican provinces were being at- 
tacked in several different directions. Gen. Stephen 
Kearny marched into New Mexico, and Colonel Doni- 
phan, into Chihuahua ; and their small forces took pos- 
session of those provinces. Capt. J. C. Fre'mont, who 
was exploring California with only sixty men, had 
formed a plan of making California into an independent 
State, such as Texas had been, and had induced the 
American settlers in the Sacramento Valley to join him 
in this effort. He had raised over his troops a flag, 
bearing the figure of a bear, to represent independent 
(.California ; but, on hearing that an American fleet had 
taken Monterey, on the seacoast, he raised the Ameri- 
can flag instead. After a series of fights with Mexican 
troops, and with the aid of Commodore Stockton and 
a naval force, he took possession of California in order 
that it might become a part of the United States. At 
last a treaty was made with Mexico, by which Mexico 
gave up New Mexico and Upper California to the 
United States, and agreed to accept the Rio Grande as 
the boundary between herself and Texas. The terri- 
tory thus added to the United States was more than 
half a million (522,955) square miles. In return, the 
United States agreed to pay Mexico fifteen millions of 
dollars, and to assume the debts due citizens of the 
United States from Mexico, amounting to three and a 
half millions besides. The treaty by which all this was 
accomplished was called the " Treaty of Guadalupe 
Hidalgo," from the city where it was made. It was 
signed Feb. 2, 1848, and was ratified by Congress 



278 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

March 10 of the same year. Thus the Mexican War 
closed in three years from its beginning. 

Nobody knew, when this treaty was made, how great 
was the value of the territory thus gained. California 
had been known only as a distant region, whither men 
went by sea, around Cape Horn, to buy hides and 
furs. But in 1848 there came rumors to the Eastern 
States of gold mines on the Sacramento River, in 
California, which promised to be richer than any in the 
world. It was said that a laborer in the employ of 
Captain Sutter, a Swiss settler in the Sacramento 
Valley, had found in the sand some glittering particles, 
which turned out to be gold. Then there was a sud- 
den and eager emigration to that region from all parts 
of the Union ; and in the very first year the mines 
yielded four million dollars' worth of gold. Within two 
years San Francisco contained fifteen thousand inhabit- 
ants. The name of California is supposed to have 
been taken from an old Spanish romance, in which the 
name was given to an imaginary island filled with gold ; 
and the early explorer, Cortes, when he visited the 
western coast of the continent, applied that name to 
the whole region long before any gold was actually 
found there. 

During Mr. Polk's administration three more States 
were admitted to the American Union, making thirty 
in all. These were Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin ; the 
names of all three being taken from Indian tribes or 
rivers. Texas was admitted as a State in 1845 ; and 
the same antislavery feeling that had resisted its 
annexation was revived to resist its admission as a 
State, but unsuccessfullv. Then came Iowa (1846), 



THE SLAVERY QUESTION. 279 

which was made out of a part of the great Louisiana 
purchase, and Wisconsin (1848), which had been a part 
of the old "North-west territory " originally belonging 
to the United States. Both these last were free States ; 
and it became plainer and plainer that the multitude of 
foreign immigrants would always prefer free territory to 
slave territory, and that the free States would inevitably 
grow faster than the others. This made the slavehold- 
ing States still more desirous to secure more States of 
their own description, wherever it was possible ; and 
when, at the close of the Mexican War, a great extent 
of new territory was acquired, great efforts were made 
on both sides to secure control of it. For this purpose 
Mr. Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced into Congress 
a measure, commonly called the " Wilmot Proviso," 
absolutely excluding slavery from the whole of the new 
acquisitions. It was long discussed, and finally de- 
feated ; but the agitation led to the formation of a new 
party, whose object was to oppose the extension of 
slavery. It was called the " Freesoil " party, and took 
the place of the old Liberty party. Under its new 
name it took an active part in the next presidential 
election, and at a later period, under the name of the 
" Republican " party, obtained the control of the gov- 
ernment. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE APPROACH OF THE CIVIL WAR. 
TAYLOR, FILLMORE, AND PIERCE. 

AT the next presidential election, the Whig party, 
which had opposed the Mexican War, thought it 
best to nominate for president the most successful 
general of the war, Zachary Taylor of Louisiana. He 
had been popular with his soldiers, and had been 
named by them "Old Rough and Ready." He was 
opposed by the Democratic jDarty and by the new 
" Freesoil " party, but was elected, and was inaugurated 
March 4, 1849. He died a little more than a year after- 
wards, July 9, 1850 ; and Vice-President Millard Fill- 
more of New York became president for the remainder 
of that presidential term, 1850-1853. 

The antislavery struggle had now risen to be the 
chief question before Congress ; and an attempt was 
made by Henry Clay of Kentucky, a very eloquent 
and persuasive orator, to settle it forever by a series of 
what were called " Compromise Measures." One of 
the principal measures was the admission of California 
as a free State. Another was the abolition of the slave- 
trade in the District of Columbia. These were 
adopted, and were regarded as concessions in favor 
280 



FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. 261 

of freedom. On the other hand, to balance these, a 
bill was introduced, called the Fugitive Slave Law, 
giving the owners of slaves the opportunity to recapture 
their escaped slaves in any part of the free States, 
and to carry them back without trial by jury. This was 
considered by many to be unconstitutional, as well as 
inhuman. It was opposed and denounced by the 
leading antislavery orators, such as Charles Sumner, 
Horace Mann, Wendell Phillips, and Theodore Parker ; 
but it was supported by leading Northern statesmen, 
such as Daniel Webster ; and it became a law, Sept. 
i8, 1850. 

This law produced more excitement than any thing 
that had before happened during the antislavery agita- 
tion. In Syracuse, N.Y., a fugitive named Jerry was 
rescued by force from the government officers : in Bos- 
ton one named Shadrach was rescued ; and an attempt 
was made to rescue another, named Anthony Burns. 
One man was killed in this last attempt ; and troops 
were ordered out to aid in the surrender of the alleged 
slave. In Ohio a ^fugitive woman, named Margaret 
Garner, killed two of her own children to save them 
from being carried into slavery. In several of the 
States, laws were framed to restrict or defeat the ojdc- 
ration of the Fugitive Slave Law, and to secure at least 
a jury trial for those claimed as slaves. 

These compromise measures formed the most im- 
portant feature of Mr. Fillmore's administration. In 
other respects his term of office was a peaceful one. 
One new State was admitted during this time : it was 
formed, in 1850, out of the territory purchased at the 
close of the Mexican War, and was named California; 



282 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

thus perpetuating the old Spanish name. The two Ter- 
ritories of New Mexico and Utah were also organized 
out of the same purchase. New Mexico was inhabited 
chiefly by a population of Spanish origin ; and Utah 
had been settled by the religious sect called Mormons, 
whose leader, Brigham Young, was commissioned by 
the president as governor of the Territory. By the 
census of 1850 the population of the whole nation was 
about twenty-three millions (23,191,876). 

Mr. Fillmore had been elected as a Whig ; though 
the antislavery agitation was fast destroying old party 
lines. His successor, Franklin Pierce of New Hamp- 
shire (1853-1857), was a Democrat. During his term 
the same agitation was further increased by the efforts 
of the friends of slavery to overthrow the Missouri Com- 
promise, as it was called ; a law which had been passed 
in 1820, prohibiting slavery north of a certain line in 
that great domain which had been bought under the 
name of Louisiana. It was now proposed to organize 
out of that region, from which slavery had been thus 
excluded, two new Territories, to be named Kansas and 
Nebraska, and to let the inhabitants determine for them- 
selves whether they should establish slavery or free- 
dom. This change of policy was strongly resisted by 
the antislavery party, and more than three thousand of 
the New England clergy petitioned Congress against it ; 
but it was finally passed, May 30, 1854. 

As this law left it to the settlers to decide upon their 
institutions, it was considered important both by the 
friends and the opponents of slavery to encourage emi- 
gration to the new Territories. Parties were therefore 
organized for this purpose in various parts of the Union. 



BORDER RUFFIANISM. 



283 



Those from the free States generally went as permanent 
settlers, with their families ; but many went in from the 
slave States, merely to take part in the disturbances, 
and aid in establishing slavery. This was especially 
the case with a class of Missourians, who could at any 
time cross the Kansas border, commit depredations, 
vote at elections, and then retreat across the border, 
undisturbed. These invaders were commonly called 
" Border Ruffians." At one time they stopped the navi- 
gation of the Missouri River for all free State settlers, 
compelling all these to take a tedious overland journey 




EMIGRANTS CROSSING THE PLAINS. 



through Iowa. The United States officials supported, 
sometimes the one party, and sometimes the other, 
finally inclining towards the slaveholders ; while gov- 
ernor after governor was sent from Washington, and 
resigned in despair. Two separate governments were 
organized by, the settlers, and two separate codes of 
law adopted. Actual fighting began at last. The 
free State military leaders — Lane, Montgomery, and 
others — organized bands to defend their settle- 
ments ; and Capt. John Brown took an especially daring 
part in the defence. At Ossawattomie, for instance, he 
defended himself, with sixteen men, against several 



284 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

hundred marauders from Missouri ; his Httle band 
killing and wounding more than four times their own 
number, and losing but two men. The same invaders 
sacked and burned the flourishing village of Lawrence, 
lately settled by men from Massachusetts. Many fami- 
lies in Kansas were reduced to poverty during this 
period, or lived by taking horses and cattle belonging to 
those of the other party ; so that men would speak of a 
proslavery horse or an antislavery cow, according as the 
owner of these animals belonged to either side. At 
last the establishment of freedom was secured in 
Nebraska and Kansas, but at a great cost of suffering 
and hatred. 

A more peaceful event of President Pierce's admin- 
istration was a purchase of territory called the " Gads- 
den Purchase," from the name of the minister who 
negotiated it. When the treaty of Guadalupe Hidal- 
go was made, at the close of the Mexican War, it was 
founded on an inaccurate map ; and this afterwards led 
to a dispute about the New Mexican boundary. To 
settle the dispute, the United States bought of Mexico 
(Dec. 30, 1853) a part of the Territories now known as 
Arizona and New Mexico, for ten million dollars. This 
purchase included about forty-five thousand square 
miles, and brought the whole territorial extent of the 
United States (in 1854) up to nearly three million square 
miles (2,981,701). This was nearly four times the area 
of the original thirteen States, and far larger than that 
of the famous Roman empire in its greatest days. 

Another important event that occurred in the time of 
President Pierce was a treaty with Japan, negotiated 
March 21, 1854, by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, 



TREATY WITH JAPAN. 285 

brother of the hero of Lake Erie. Before this time 
Japan had rigidly excluded from its ports all foreigners, 
except about a dozen Dutch traders, and had allowed 
shipwrecked seamen to be treated with the greatest 
cruelty. Commodore Perry with an American squad- 
ron compelled the Japanese to show more considera- 
tion for foreigners in distress ; and his treaty secured 
the removal of almost all restrictions on commerce 
with Japan. 

The new party opposed to the extension of slavery 
had now reached such strength, that the Whig party had 
gradually disappeared; and the next presidential elec- 
tion lay mainly between the Republican party, as the 
new organization styled itself, and the old Democratic 
party. There was, however, a temporary party, com- 
posed of those who called themselves " Know Noth- 
ings," and aimed mainly to oppose foreign influence in 
national legislation. This party carried but one State, 
Maryland ; and the Democratic candidate, James Bu- 
chanan of Pennsylvania, was elected president. His 
administration (1857-1861) will always be remembered 
as that in which the great civil war, or "War of the 
Rebellion," arose. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE OPENING OF THE CIVIL WAR. BUCHANAN. 

MR. BUCHANAN'S inauguration took place on 
March 4, 1857 ; and that very year the Supreme 
Court pronounced a decision, called the " Dred Scott 
Decision," declaring the right of slaveholders to take 
their slaves with them into any part of the country. 
This made a great excitement throughout the free 
States ; and something else soon happened, which ex- 
cited the slave States almost as much. This was what 
is commonly called "John Brown's Raid." Capt. John 
Brown's name has been already mentioned in describ- 
ing the resistance of the " Free State " settlers of 
Kansas to the " Border Ruffians " of Missouri. After 
order was restored in Kansas, John Brown resolved to 
fulfil a plan he had long formed for resisting slavery in 
the slave States themselves. In his youth he had been 
familiar with the mountains of Virginia, and had there 
visited places, which, as he used to say, had evidently 
been created to be the stronghold for fugitive slaves. 
General Washington, long before him, had formed a 
plan to take the American army into these mountains, 
should the colonies be defeated ; and John Brown 
proposed to do the same with an army of blacks. 
So having collected a small body of men near Harper's 
286 



JOHN BROWN S RAID. 



287 



Ferry, Va., he entered and took possession of the 
town, Oct. 16, 1859. He at once seized the United 
States Arsenal, intending thus to secure arms for the 
fugitive slaves whom he meant to summon to his side. 

He frankly announced his object to be the freedom 
of the slaves ; and he promised safety to all property, 
except slave-property. He had in all but twenty-two 








HAKPER S FERRY. 



men ; but so great was the alarm produced by these, 
that several eye-witnesses reported the number to be 
three hundred ; and this estimate was at once tele- 
graphed to all parts of the Union. With this small 
number he took many of the chief inhabitants of the 
town as hostages for the safety of those under his com- 
mand. Wishing to spare all unnecessary alarm to the 



288 YOUNG folks' UNITED STATES. 

families of these hostages, he staid at Harper's Ferry 
too long for his safety ; so that militia companies had 
time to assemble, and finally a detachment of United 
States marines appeared upon the scene. Fifteen 
hundred militiamen were gradually collected in the 
town ; but Brown's little force defended the arsenal 
until nearly every man was killed or wounded, and they 
then surrendered to the United States troops. Colonel 
Washington, one of his prisoners, said that Captain 
Brown was " the coolest and firmest man he ever saw 
in defying danger and death. With one son dead by 
his side, and another shot through, he felt the pulse 
of his dying son with one hand, and held his rifle with 
the other, and commanded his men with the utmost 
composure, encouraging them to be firm.'' He fell at 
last with si-\ wounds, and was thought to be dying. 
Ten of the party were killed, and four wounded. 

John Brown himself was put on trial before a Vir- 
ginia court, where he conducted himself in such a 
manner as to win the admiration even of his enemies. 
Governor Wise of Virginia said of him, " They are 
themselves mistaken who take him for a madman. . . . 
He is a man of clear head, of courage, foititude, and 
simple ingenuousness. ... He inspired me with great 
confidence in his integrity as a man of truth." He was 
condemned and executed on the gallows Dec. 2, 1859, 
at Charlestown, Va. ; his last act being to kiss the fore- 
head of a little slave-child, on the way to the place of 
execution. Six of his comrades were executed at a later 
day. A few others, who were on duty outside the town, 
escaped to the mountains, and thence, with great peril 
and hardship, to the free States. One of John Brown's 



ELECTION OF MR. LINCOLN. 289 

sons was the leader of this parly, and has written a 
thrilling narrative of their escape. 

These events brought the agitation on the subject of 
slavery to its highest point, during President Buchan- 
an's administration. When the time drew near for the 
election of a new president, the old parties were so 
broken up, that there were four candidates in the field ; 
though Mr. Buchanan himself was not one of them. 
Out of these four, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was 
elected, he havuig been nominated by the Republican 
party ; this being an enlarged form of the Free- 
soil party, which had itself succeeded the Liberty 
party. Mr. Lincoln was a man of very moderate 
opinions in regard to slavery, and was not disposed to 
interfere with it where it was already established by 
law. But his election was regarded by many in the 
slave States as very dangerous to the interests of 
slavery ; and these men resolved to dissolve the Union. 
They maintained that the United States consisted of a 
copartnership of entirely independent governments, and 
that any State could withdraw from it at will. This was 
the doctrine called " State Rights," which had long been 
popular in the Southern States, and especially in South 
Carolina. It was therefore very natural that South 
Carolina should take the lead in withdrawing from the 
Union ; and a convention was accordingly called in 
that State, and adopted (Dec 20, i860) an ordinance 
of secession. Within six weeks similar conventions 
had been held, and similar votes passed, in the States 
of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, 
and Texas. These States then formed themselves into 
what was called the " Southern Confederacy," and 
19 



290 



YOUNG FOLKS UNI'J'ED STATES. 



elected (Feb. 8, 1861) Jefiferson Davis of Mississippi as 
president, and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia as 
vice-president. The new confederacy placed itself 
boldly upon the righteousness of slavery as a permanent 
institution, and it openly aimed to establish a slave- 
holding nation in the Southern States. 

The authorities of South Carolina at once claimed 




ATTACK ON FORT SUMTER. 



possession of all national property in the State. Seeing 
this, Major Robert Anderson, who commanded the 
garrison of a small fort called Fort Moultrie in Charles- 
ton harbor, withdrew his force to Fort Sumter, a 
stronger position, and sent for re-enforcements from 
Washington. A steamer called the " Star of the 
West," carrying two hundred and fifty men, was sent 



ATTACK ON FORT SUMTER. 29 1 

to Charleston in January, but was fired upon from Fort 
Moultrie, where the insurgents had placed a garrison. 
Then batteries were erected on the shore ; and at last 
(April II), General Beauregard, in comniand of the 
rebel troops, demanded the surrender of Fort Sumter ; 
and, this being refused, the batteries opened fire upon 
the fort, early the ne.\t morning. For two days, the fire 
continued ; and, at midnight of the second day. Major 
Anderson surrendered the fort, his eighty men being 
wholly exhausted, his barracks on fire, and his gun- 
powder almost gone. He stipulated that he should be 
allowed to march out with drums beating, and colors 
flying, and to bring away company and private property. 
This he did on Sunday, April 14, firing away his re- 
maining powder in saluting the United States flag with 
fifty guns. 

The first gun fired at Fort Sumter aroused and ex- 
cited the whole nation ; and many who had before 
expressed much sympathy for the supporters of slavery 
now took sides with those who wished to preserve the 
Union. The event also produced a great impression 
at the South ; and acts of secession were passed in 
North Carolina, A'irginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee. 
In all these States the colored population took sides 
unanimously with the Union ; but, being composed 
almost wholly of unarmed and ignorant slaves, they 
counted at first for little. There were also, in some of 
these States, many white citizens who opposed dis- 
union ; but they were, in most cases, gradually silenced, 
or driven away. Meanwhile President Buchanan 
showed no decision of character in dealing with the 
Rebellion ; and amid the rising tumult he went out of 
office. 



292 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

During his administrrition, three new States had been 
added to the Union, — Minnesota (1858), Oregon (1859), 
and Kansas (1861). Of these, Minnesota and Kansas 
were both formed mainly from the territory gained by 
the Louisiana purchase ; and both bear the Indian 
names of rivers flowing through them. Oregon was 
formed out of the territory secured to the United 
Slates by the boundary treaty of 1846 ; and the name 
is said to come from the word "Oregano," meaning 
wild rice, which grows profusely on the Pacific coast. 
By the census of i860, taken during Mr. Buchanan's 
administration, the whole population of the country was 
nearly thirty-one and a half millions (31,443,321). 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE CIVIL WAR. 



LINCOLN. 



NO one who was not in the midst of it can ima- 
gine the excitement that arose in all the Northern 
States when it was heard that Fort Sumter had been 
attacked. Up to that moment, there had lieen a great 
division of feeling at the 
North ; and there were 
many who thought, that, by 
patient efforts, those who 
wished to secede from the 
Union could be brought 
back again. Few really be- 
lieved that there was to be 
any serious fighting. While 
the white population of the 
South had been preparing 
for war, the Northern peo- 
ple had gone about their usual employments ; and, when 
the attack came, they were quite taken by surprise. 
Although, three months before, the rebels in Louisiana 
had seized upon the fort at the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi, and upon the United States Arsenal at Baton 
Rouge, the Northern people could not convince them- 
selves that actual war would take place. So they were 
still unprepared. -9j 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



294 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



When President Lincoln was inaugurated (March 4, 
1861), the regul.ir army was very small, and very much 
scattered; but, on the 15th of April, he issued a call 
for seventy-five thousand volunteers for three months 
only. A few regiments of militia were hastily sum- 
moned from the different States for the defence of 
Washington. One of these, the Sixth Massachusetts, 




SIXTH MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT ATTACKED RV A MOB. 

was attacked by a mob in passing through I)altimore ; 
and, after three men had been killed by stones and 
clubs, one company fired on the mob in return, killing 
nine men, and wounding many. This took place on 
April 19, 1861, the anniversary of the Battle of Lex- 
ington. It produced almost as much excitement as 
the attack on Fort Sumter, not that the Baltimore 



ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY. 295 

affair was a deliberate act of organized rebellion, but 
that it showed the feeling of hostility to the govern- 
ment wherever slavery existed. 

When it was necessary to send the next troops 
through Maryland, they were not marched through Bal- 
timore, but through Annapolis. General Butler, with 
regiments of militia from Massachusetts and New 
York, passed along the line of railway from Annapolis 
to Washington ; the soldiers repairing it as they went. 
Finding a wrecked locomotive by the roadside, the 
general asked if there was any one in the ranks who 
could repair it. " I can," said a soldier who had been 
examining the engine ; "for I built it.'' In truth, these 
troops were made up of men of all occupations, just 
taken from the daily pursuits of life ; and there were few 
trades which were not represented in every regiment. 
After a while, troops were sent through Baltimore again ; 
and it became, almost of necessity, a loyal city. But at 
first the thing most essential was to reach Washington 
without delay, and make it secure. 

When the first alarm about the safety of Washington 
was relieved, it became necessary to create an army. 
Recruits were gathered in all the States, under the 
president's proclamation, and were organized into regi- 
ments by the governors of the States, But all the mate- 
rials of war had to be collected by the United States 
Government. Mr. Buchanan's secretary of war, himself 
a secessionist, had sent several hundred thousand mus- 
kets to Southern arsenals, and left the Northern 
arsenals almost bare. It was the same with cannon and 
ammunition. All these, therefore, had to be bought, 
or manufactured by the government, at very short 



296 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

notice. It was necessary to have uniforms made for 
tlie soldiers, to organize a supply of horses and army- 
wagons, camp-equipage, medicines, and provisions, and 
to provide for the proper distribution of these to the 
troops in such way that there should be no waste or 
want. This all had to be begun at once, and to be 
completed as quickly as possible. President Lincoln 
also issued a proclamation, announcing that the South- 
ern ports were blockaded, and forbidding vessels to 
enter or leave them. 

On the 27th of May, troops were sent from Washing- 
ton into Virginia, some being ordered to Alexandria, 
some to Arlington Heights near Washington. Colonel 
Ellsworth, the youthful commander of a part of these 
troops, seeing a rebel flag flying from a hotel, entered 
the house to take it down, and was shot by the proprie- 
tor. He was well known in the Northern cities ; and his 
death produced much indignation. Fighting soon began 
in both Eastern and Western Virginia. In Western Vir- 
ginia, there was a strong Union party ; and the rebel 
troops were finally driven out in a series of engagements 
in which General McClellan was the chief commander. 
In Eastern Virginia, there was an engagement at Big 
Bethel, in which the Union troops were defeated ; but 
there was no general engagement till July. Then Lieu- 
tenant-General Scott, the commander-in-chief, made an 
attempt to advance on Richmond ; and his troops, under 
General McDowell, were defeated at Bull Run. This 
was on July 21 ; some thirty thousand troops being 
engaged on each side. The result of the battle had 
seemed very doubtful until three o'clock in the after- 
noon, when re-enforcements arrived for the rebel troops ; 



RECOGNrTION OF THE CONFEDERACY. 297 

and the result was a total rout of the Union forces, 
which retreated in great disorder to Washington. 

Later in the year, there was a smaller battle at Ball's 
Bluff, in which the Union troops were also unsuccess- 
ful. Thus the war opened badly in Eastern Virginia. 
On the other hand, the rebel troops were successfully 
driven out of Northern Missouri by General Lyon ; 
and some important expeditions were sent to different 
points on the Southern coast, such as Fort Hatteras in 
Virginia, and Port Royal Harbor in South Carolina. 
This last was especially important, as the rebel forces 
at once abandoned most of the posts they had seized 
along the South Atlantic coast, and never afterwards 
regained them. All this was accomplished in 1861. 
Towards the end of that year, Lieut.-Gen. Winfield Scott 
retired from the command of the armies of the United 
States, and was succeeded by Major-Gen. George B. 
McClellan. 

During the first year of the war, the nav\ of the 
United States had to.be greatly enlarged. At the 
outset, there were but four ships available for service 
at home, with less than three hundred sailors ; yet it 
was necessary to have a force large enough to block- 
ade all the ports of the seceded States. The rebels 
sent out pri\-ateers to prey upon American commerce ; 
and these privateers were protected and refitted in 
foreign ports, especially those of England. That na- 
tion, with France, Spain, and Portugal, recognized the 
seceded States as having the rights of belligerents ; thus 
putting the Confederacy, as a war power, on the same 
footing with the National Government. War with Eng- 
land was narrowly avoided, at the time when Messrs. 



298 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

Mason and Slidell, Confederate commissioners, were 
captured by a United States vessel from an English mail- 
steamer, Nov. 8, 186 1. I'his act, being found to be con- 
trary to the law of nations, was promptly disowned by 
the American Government ; and peaceful relations were 
restored. But the hopes of the secessionists were sus- 
tained throughout the war by the expectation of being 
recognized and assisted by foreign governments. 

At the beginning of the year 1S62 the whole Union 
army amounted to more than five hundred thousand 
men, almost all of these being volunteers. General 
McClellan, in command of the Army of the Potomac, 
marched up the peninsula formed by the James and 
York Rivers, to attack Richmond, the capital of the 
Confederate Government ; and he even crossed the 
Chickahominy River. When his advanced guard, under 
General Casey, was at Fair Oaks, within six miles of 
Richmond, it was attacked (May 31, J862), and driven 
back, but was afterwards re-enforced, and drove the 
opposing army into Richmond. . Some eighty thousand 
men were engaged in this battle. McClellan, after 
remaining two months in camp, decided it to be neces- 
sary to withdraw his force, and change his base of 
operations to the James River. This led to a series of 
attacks from the Confederate forces, called " the Seven- 
Days' Battles of the Peninsula ; " the battle at Malvern 
Hills (July I, 1862) being the severest, and resulting 
in the defeat of the rebels. In these battles nearly a 
hundred thousand men were engaged on each side ; each 
losing more than fifteen thousand. The army of Gen- 
eral Banks was ordered from the Shenandoah Valley to 
cover the change of position on the part of McClellan. 



INVASION OF MARYLAND. 



>99 



There were battles at Cedar Mountain and Bull Run. 
General Lee led the Confederate army across the Poto- 
mac into Maryland, capturing Harper's Ferry, and Fred- 
erick City, the capital of Maryland. Whittier's poem, 
" Barbara Frietchie," describes an incident that took 
place at the capture of this city. Finally McClellan 
encountered Lee at Antietam, Md. (Sept. 17, 1862), in 




liAKBARA FRIETCHIE. 



one of the sev^erest battles of the war. One hundred 
and fifty thousand men were engaged in it, including 
both armies. The Union loss in this battle and in 
that of South Mountain, which took place just before, 
was more tnan fourteen thousand ; and that of the 
rebels, more than twelve thousand. The Union army 
was victorious ; and, during the following night. General 



300 YouNc; folks' united states. 

Lee withdrew his troops across the Potomac. Great 
dissatisfaction was felt with General McClellan for 
permitting this retreat ; and, as there had been similar 
dissatisfaction after Fair Oaks and Malvern, he was 
removed from command in November, and Gen. Am- 
brose E. Burnside was put in his place, at the head 
of the Army of the Potomac. Burns^ide crossed the 
Rappahannock, and look Fredericksburg, but was 
obliged to retreat again with heavy losses. 

Thus the second year of the war brought little prog- 
ress towards the immediate end of the contest, — the 
capture of the Confederate capital. But a naval con- 
test in Virginia waters meanwhile attracted the atten- 
tion of the whole nation, and, indeed, of the civilized 
world. The Union officers, early in the war, had aban- 
doned the navy-yard at Norfolk, and destroyed most of 
the vessels ; but some ships had escaped destruction, 
and among them the "Merrimack." The secessionists 
had covered this vessel with railroad iron and heavy 
timber, and had furnished her with a bow of steel. With 
this she attacked the Union squadron at Hampton 
Roads. The wooden frigates assailed her in vain. 
The balls struck and glanced upward, " having no more 
effect than peas from a pop-gun ;" and at the end of the 
day the Union frigate " Cumberland " had gone down, 
her brave commander ordering one more broadside as 
she sank ; the " Congress " was burned at the water's 
edge, and the " Minnesota " was aground. So matters 
stood, when, at nine in the evening, a little vessel of 
insignificant appearance, looking, as one eye-witness 
has said, "like a capsized whale-ship," and, as another 
said, "like a cheese-box on a raft," steamed into 



MONITOR AND MERRIMACI 



301 



Hampton Roads. It was the " Monitor," commanded 
by Capt. John S. Worden, and invented by Captain 
Ericsson, an engineer of Swedish birth. In the morn- 
ing the "Merrimack" got under way again, and bore 
down upon the frigate that lay aground. The " Moni- 
tor," steaming alongside the "Merrimack," opened fire. 
The " ram " fired in return. For two hours the contest 





3=?^ j^ 



^-'m- 



MONITOR AND 'MERRIMACK. 



lasted, both ships using more powerful ordnance than 
had ever before been used in a naval encounter, and 
this at a distance of one hundred and fifty yards ; yet the 
cannonade was useless. Neither produced the slight- 
est effect on the other, until at last the "Monitor" 
sent a shell through a porthole of her antagonist, doing 
severe execution amonir the crew. After that the 



302 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

"Merrimack" retreated, leaving the victory with the 
little " Monitor." The whole nation was relieved when 
the news of this victory came ; for, if the " Merri- 
mack " had been left free to enter New York harbor, it 
might have destroyed every wooden vessel in port. 
The general substitution of iron vessels for wooden, in 
the navies of the world, may be said to have followed 
from this contest. 

While these things were going on, by land and water, 
in Virginia, there were very important events happen- 
ing elsewhere in the war. An expedition under Gen- 
eral Burnside captured Roanoke Island, and several 
important points in North Carolina. Admiral Dupont 
took Fort Pulaski and the seaports of Eastern Florida. 
On the Western rivers two strongholds were taken, — 
Fort Henry on the Tennessee, and Fort Donelson on 
the Cumberland. The latter was besieged by General 
Grant ; and, on the Confederate commander's asking 
what term the Union forces would accept, the message 
was returned, " Unconditional surrender ; " which after- 
wards became the nickname of General Grant. 

After the capture of Fort Donelson, the Confederate 
troops abandoned Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, 
and were driven from a strongly-fortified island in the 
Mississippi River, called "Island No. lo." A severe 
battle took place at Pittsburg Landing (April 6, 1862), 
between the Union forces under Grant, and the Con- 
federate forces under Johnston and Beauregard. On 
the first day General Grant was driven from his posi- 
tion with severe loss ; but on the second day, with the 
aid of re-enforcements under General Buell, the Union 
troops recaptured the camps from which they had been 



CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS. 



303 



dislodged. More than a hundred thousand men were 
engaged in the battle of Pittsburg Landing ; and there 
were about ten thousand killed and wounded on each 
side. 

One of the most important warlike exploits of this 
year was liie taking of New Orleans by a na.val force, 
under Commodore Farragut, aided by a land force, 
under General Butler. The city was very strongly de- 
fended. Seventy-five miles below it, there were two 
stroiig forts ; and below 
these a chain was stretched 
across the river, with earth- 
works at each end. I]t:- 
tween the forts and the 
chain there were five rafts 
filled with inflammable ma- 
terials, besides thirteen 
gunboats, an iron-clad float- 
ing battery, and an iron 
" ram." Commodore Far- 
ragut cannonaded the forts commodore farragut. 
in vain, but saved his vessels from the burning rafts by 
seizing and extinguishing each as it floated down. At 
last he decided to attempt to run by the forts with his 
fleet. He accordingly got under way on April 24, 1862 ; 
and while the forts, the steamers, and the battery, all 
poured their fire upon the fleet, it steamed steadily up 
the river till the danger was passed. A single Union 
vessel, the " Varuna," sunk or disabled six rebel steam- 
ers ; and Farragut anchored off the quarantine station 
that evening. The next morning he reached the city, 
and took possession ; and the forts and fleet in the 




304 YOUNX. folks' united STATES. 

river were surrendered a few days after. On May i 
General Butler, with a land force, entered New Orleans, 
and proclaimed martial law. Farragut afterwards 
penetrated farther up the river ; and, though Vicksburg 
held out some time longer, the control of the lower 
Mississippi was thenceforth secured to the government. 
But the most important occurrence of this year was 




COMMODORE FARRAGUT PASSING THE FORTS BELOW NEW ORLEANS. 

a political event, — the President's proclamation for the 
emancipation of the slaves. The war was not origi- 
nally waged for the abolition of slavery, but to preserve 
the Union; and when Union generals — Fre'mont, 
Phelps, and Hunter — had, at different times and places, 
undertaken to set free the slaves of rebel masters, the 
President had revoked their action, or limited it to the 



EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. 305 

slaves actually employed against the government. It 
proved, at last, necessary to declare freedom to the 
slaves ; and on Sept. 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued 
this proclamation : — 

"That on the first day of Januar}-, in the year of our 
Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all 
persons held as slaves within any State, or designated 
part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in 
rebellion against the United States, shall be then, 
thenceforth, and forever free ; and the Executive Gov- 
ernment of the United States, including the military 
and naval authority thereof, will recognize and main- 
tain the freedom of such jDcrsons, and will do no act 
or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any 
effort they may make for their actual freedom." 

In his message to Congress, the President thus ex- 
plained this act : — 

" In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom 
to the free, honorable alike in what we give and what 
we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the 
last best hope of earth. . . . The way is plain, peace- 
ful, glorious, just, — a way, which, if followed, the world 
will forever applaud, and God must forever bless." 

Almost at the same time with this proclamation, the 
policy of raising colored troops began to be systemati- 
cally adopted by the government. Already in May, 
1862, Gen. David Hunter had organized in South Caro- 
lina, on his own responsibility, a regiment of blacks ; 
and, though the government had disbanded the regi- 
ment, one company had been allowed to remain in ser- 
vice, and became the nucleus of the First South Caro- 
lina Volunteers, raised, with official authority, by Gen. 



3o6 YOUNG folks' united states. 

Rufus Saxton, in October. During the same summer 
the First Kansas Colored began to be enlisted by Gen- 
eral Lane in Kansas. These were the first regiments 
composed of freed slaves. General Butler had, how- 
ever, found some regiments of free colored troops partly 
organized for the Confederate service in New Orleans, 
and had taken them into the Union service. 

On New Year's Day, 1863, President Lincoln issued 
a second proclamation, confirming his earlier one, and 
declaring the freedom of the slaves. Early in the year 
General Hooker succeeded General Burnside in com- 
mand of the Army of the Potomac, but was defeated 
by General Lee at Chancellorsville, Va. In this battle 
fell General Jackson, called " Stonewall" Jackson, the 
most popular of the Confederate generals. A period 
of great re-action and discouragement followed. The 
cost of the war for the Union had become enormous ; 
and large bounties had to be paid for soldiers, bringing 
into the service many " bounty-jumpers," as they were 
called, who enlisted merely for money, and soon de- 
serted to enlist again. At one time more than two 
hundred a day were deserting from the Army of the 
Potomac. Soldiers were being drafted ; but the draft 
was very unpopular. Under these circumstances Gen- 
eral Lee resolved to invade the Northern States. He 
marched down the Shenandoah Valley, across the 
Potomac, and towards Chambersburg. Near Gettys- 
burg his advance encountered the Union cavalry ; and 
a general battle was brought on, without having been 
previously intended on either side. The Union forces 
were commanded by Gen. George G. Meade. The bat- 
tle began July i, and lasted three days ; eighty thousand 



SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG. 



507 



being engaged on each side, and the loss of each being 
more than twenty thousand. It ended in the defeat 
and retreat of Lee, and put an end forever to the 
thought of an invasion of the North. 

The battle of Gettysburg may be regarded as the 
turning-point of the war. At the moment when the 
last charge of that battle was being repulsed. General 














SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG. 



Grant was negotiating for the surrender of the strong- 
hold of Vicksburg, which had, up to that time, ren- 
dered the Mississippi impassable for vessels. It was 
the most important fortified place in the south-west, 
being on a high bluff, thoroughly defended by batteries 
in all directions. It fell after a siege of forty-seven 
days, being surrendered on the Fourth of July. A 



3o3 YOUNG folks' united states. 

cavalry raid by Col. B. R. Grierson occurred in con- 
nection with this siege. This officer, with about a thou- 
sand cavalry, swept through Mississippi, traversing in 
about a fortnight four hundredmiles of territory, destroy- 
ing bridges and military supplies. The Confederate 
General Morgan also made a daring raid through Ken- 
tucky, into Indiana, with three thousand cavalry, but 
was defeated and captured at last. 

Port Hudson, which had been besieged by General 
Banks for many weeks, was obliged to surrender soon 
after Vicksburg ; and the Mississippi River was now 
open to the Union vessels once more. "J'his was a 
great step forward. But, as time went on, it grew more 
and more difficult to raise soldiers for the war ; and the 
draft was in many quarters bitterly opposed. In New 
York especially, a great riot took place, nominally occa- 
sioned by the draft, but aimed at the colored people 
and all who defended them. It began July 13, and 
lasted three days ; the militia regiments of the city 
being absent for the defence of Pennsylvania, and the 
police force of the city being wholly unable to preserve 
order. Houses were burned, including an orphan 
asylum ; and negroes were pursued and killed in the 
streets. 

Later in the year General Rosecrans, with a large 
Union force, met with a severe defeat at Chickamauga 
in Tennessee ; and his army was besieged at Chatta- 
nooga, and was in danger of starvation. It was, how- 
ever, relieved by General Grant in a masterly series of 
movements, including a three-days' battle, in which the 
Confederate army was dislodged from a series of strong 
positions upon the mountains which surrounded the 



BATTLES IN TENNESSEE. 



309 



town. "The opening movement of the battle was 
made with such reguLarity and precision, that the Con- 
federate troops on the heights above took it for a 
mere review, or drill." General Thomas captured 
Orchard Knob ; General Hooker scaled the heights of 
Lookout Mountain, and fought a battle " above the 
clouds ; " General Sherman attacked Missionarv Ridge; 







BATTLE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 



and, finally, the whole army ascended the mountain- 
side, under severe fire, and drove the opposing force 
from the intrenchments five hundred feet above. This 
was Nov. 25, 1863. The loss in these two battles was 
more than twenty thousand on each side. Their effect 
was to banish the Confederate forces from Tennessee. 
During this time, but little advance had been made 



3IO YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

in the " Department of the South ; " though a successful 
attack on Charleston, S.C., had been made by Admiral 
Dupont with his " monitors," aided by General Hunter 
on land. There had been several expeditions up the 
Southern rivers, within the Confederate lines, but noth- 
ing on a large scale, until the arrival of General Gill- 
more, who planned a regular siege of Charleston, 
carried on chiefly from Folly and Morris Islands, 
with the aid of cannon of very long range. A severe 
attack and repulse took place at Fort Wagner (July i8, 
1863), in which the colored troops were placed in front ; 
and their brave young commander. Colonel Shaw, was 
killed. This important fort was taken in September ; 
and the siege of Charleston became more close. On 
the whole, the prospects of the war for the Union were 
more favorable at the end of 1863. " Peace," said 
President Lincoln at that time, " does not appear so 
distant as it did. I hope it will come soon, and come 
to stay, and so come as to be worth keeping in all 
future time." 

Early in the year 1864 some daring advances within 
the hostile lines took place on both sides, but without 
results. General Kilpatrick led his cavalry within 
three miles of Richmond, Va. General Seymour occu- 
pied Jacksonville, Fla., which had been twice before 
occupied and abandoned ; and he was proceeding far- 
ther into the State, when he was checked at the severe 
battle of Olustee, Feb. 20. General Banks, in the 
South-west, conducted an expedition up the Red River, 
but was defeated and driven back ; his gunboats being 
greatly endangered by the falling of the river, and 
being only saved by the skill of a volunteer ofificer, 



PROMOTION OF GENERAL GRANT. 



Colonel Bailey, who built clams across the stream, 
and floated the vessels down. At the very time of 
the Red River expedition, the Confederate general, 
Forrest, made a raid into Tennessee and Kentucky, 
captured Fort Pillow (April 12), and massacred three 
hundred colored soldiers who formed a part of its 
garrison. 

But the event of greatest importance during this 
year was the appointment of General Grant to the 
command of all the armies 
(March 17), with the title 
of lieutenant-general. He 
soon planned two great 
movements, which were to 
proceed at the same time. 
One of these was to be di- 
rected against Richmond, 
Va., by the Army of the 
Potomac, which was com- 
manded by General Meade, 
but under General Grant's 
immediate supervision. The other was under the 
exclusive charge of Gen. W. T. Sherman, who under- 
took to march an army across the interior of the States 
in rebellion, from the mountains to the sea. 

When General Grant's movements in Virginia began, 
he wrote to President Lincoln, " I propose to fight it 
out on this line, if it takes all summer ;" and, though 
he was obliged to change his position more than once, 
he still persevered. In May and June, he 'sustained 
terrible losses in the battles of the Wilderness, of 
Spottsylvania, and of Cold Harbor, losing seventy 




GENERAL GRANT. 



312 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

thousand men in all. He laid siege unsuccessfully to 
Richmond, and, in spite of the aid given in a brilliant 
raid by General Sheridan, the whole campaign of 
Grant in 1864 was discouraging. Meanwhile the Con- 
federate general, Early, with twenty thousand men, 
made a raid into Pennsylvania in July, and burned the 
town of Chambersburg ; and an incursion was also 
made into the town of St. Albans, Vt., by some Con- 
federates from Canada, who took the inhabitants by 
surprise, robbed the banks, and retreated. General 
Early was pursued by General Sheridan, and defeated 
at Cedar Creek on Oct. 19. The forces of Sheridan 
had been attacked by Early during the temporary 
absence of their commander, and had been driven 
four miles with heavy loss. Sheridan had news of 
the fight when at Winchester, twenty miles away, and 
rode that distance at a furious speed. Meeting his 
retreating troops, he rallied them, and turned the de- 
feat into victory, capturing fifty pieces of artillery, and 
many prisoners. This event has been made the sub- 
ject of a ballad, called " Sheridan's Ride," by Buchan- 
an Read. 

At sea, the Confederate privateers had for some 
time been very destructive to American merchant- 
vessels. The " Shenandoah " had destroyed thirty-four 
whale-ships in the arctic seas ; and the " Alabama " 
had taken sixty-five vessels. American ships had 
almost been driven from the ocean, or had been trans- 
ferred to British ownership for protection. The Con- 
federate privateers had escaped meeting United States 
men-of-war, until the " Alabama " was attacked by the 
" Kearsarge," Captain Winslow, off the coast of Cher- 



MAVAL ACTIONS. 



3^3 



boiirg, France, June 19, 1864. During the action, the 
two vessels were steaming at the rate of seven miles 
an hour, and swinging round one another in circles, so 
as to bring their broadsides to bear. After they had 
described seven of these circles, and had come within 
a quarter of a mile of one another, the "/Vlabama" 




SHEKIDAN S RIDE. 



was sunk ; Captain Semmes and his men being picked 
up by an English yacht. 

Another brilliant naval action during this year was 
that won in Mobile Bay by Admiral Farragut, Aug. 5. 
The bay was a great resort for blockade-runners : it was 
defended by two forts, by torpedoes set in the narrow 
channel, and by an iron-plated ram of great power. 



314 YOUNG folks' united STAGES. 

— the " Tennessee." Farragut hid to meet these ob- 
stacles with wooden ships, aided by a few " monitors," 
one of whicli was soon struck by a torpedo, and went 
down with her crew. Farragut had provided false 
bows of iron with which his wooden ships might charge 
the ram ; and this dangerous vessel was at length dis- 
abled, and surrendered with the forts. 




DESTRUCTION OF THE "ALBEMARLE." 

Still another encounter, and probably the most 
daring naval action of the war, was that in which a 
powerful ram, the " Albemarle," was destroyed at 
night (Oct. 27, 1S64) by a torpedo from a steam-launch 
commanded by Lieutenant Gushing, who had volun- 
teered for this dangerous duty. His boat was itself 
sunk by the shock of the torpedo ; and only the com- 



SHERMAN S MARCH TO THE SEA. 



315 



mander and one of his crew were saved by swimming, 
under close fire from the ram. 

But the main event of this year was the campaign of 
General Sherman in Tennessee, and his march across 
the State of Georgia to Savannah. The object was to 
cut off the supplies of the Confederates, and break up 
their railroad communications. The campaign began 
early in May, 1864. Sherman had to conduct his army 
through a series of mountain regions and passes bris- 
tling with fortifications, which had to be carried with 
great loss. He took the important town of Atlanta, 
Ga., and then began his famous " March to the Sea." 
His course lay through a fertile region, where the army 
of sixty thousand men advanced in two columns, under 
Generals Howard and Slocum, subsisting largely on 
what could be found in the country passed through. 
After a march of three hundred miles, they reached the 
sea, and established communication with the forces at 
Hilton Head under General Foster, and vv'ith the fleet 
under Admiral Dahlgren. The Confederate forces re- 
treated from Savannah, and the Union Army entered it ; 
and General Sherman wrote to President Lincoln, " I 
beg to present to you as a Christmas gift the city of 
Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns, and 
plenty of ammunition, and also twenty-five thousand 
bales of cotton.'" He had lost, in the march, only sixty- 
three killed, and two hundred and forty-five wounded. 

In January, 1865, General Sherman resumed his 
" Great March," from Savannah northward. He him- 
self wrote, " Christmas found us at Savannah. Waiting 
there only long enough to fill our wagons, we began 
another march, which for peril, labor, and results, will, 



3i6 YOUNG folks' united states. 

compare with any ever made by an organized army. 
The floods of the Savannah, the swamps of the Com- 
bahee and the Edisto, the high hills and rocks of the 
Santee, the flat quagmires of the Pedee and Cape Fear 
Rivers, were all passed in midwinter, with its floods 
and rain, in the face of an accumulating enemy ; and, 
after the battles of Averysborough and Bentonsville, we 
once more came out of the wilderness to meet our 
friends at Goldsborough." 

He met these "friends" — the troops under General 
Schofield — on the 23d of March. Sherman had proved 
by this exploit that the Confederacy had now become, 
as he said, "an empty shell;" the men having been 
necessarily withdrawn from the interior of the country 
to defend its borders. His triumphant success helped 
to give the finishing stroke to the war. 

This march aided, also, in the capture of Charleston, 
which had now been besieged for more than five hun- 
dred days. It w^as finally abandoned (Feb. 17) by the 
Confederate forces ; fires being first set in different 
parts of the city. Some other successes took place 
this year, especially the capture, by General Terry, of 
Fort Fisher, which protected Wilmington, N.C. But 
these were only preliminary to the final movement of 
General Grant against Richmond. 

On March 29, 1865, the movement of Grant's army 
began. He had become satisfied, both by his own 
observation and by the success of Sherman's attempt, 
that the Confederate armies were nearly exhausted, and 
that a resolute effort would bring the war to a close. 
Placing Sheridan in command of all the cavalry of the 
army, he sent out this daring ofiicer with this order: 



CAPTLTRE OF RICHMOND. 317 

" In the morning push round the enemy, and get to his 
rear." Accordingly, on April i, 1865, Sheridan, aided 
by Warren and Humphreys, fought the decisive battle 
of Five Forks, turning the iianlv of Lee's army, and 
taking five thousand prisoners. Two days after, Peters- 
burg and Richmond were occupied by the Union forces. 
When General Lee found that he could no longer 
hold his position at Petersburg, he telegraphed to 
Jefferson Davis at Richmond, " My lines are broken 
in three places. Richmond must be evacuated this 
evening.'' The despatch reached Mr. Davis on Sun- 
day, in church, and was handed to him amid the silence 
of the congregation. He hastily left the church ; and 
the rumor was instantly spread, that the city was to be 
abandoned. In a few hours wagons were seen at the 
department offices, carrying boxes away ; and soon the 
streets were full of men, hurrying from- the city, and 
carrying with them their valuables in all manner of 
conveyances. The sum of a hundred dollars in gold 
was offered for a wagon. Vast stores of provisions 
were sent away to the retreating army ; and all that was 
left was freely distributed among the people, black and 
white. The city council gave orders to destroy all the 
liquor in the city to prevent intoxication ; but much of 
it was seized by the soldiers, and made the confusion 
worse. Four large tobacco-houses were set on fire by 
the military authorities; the shipping was fired, or 
blown up ; and the bridges were also in flames. A 
scene of the wildest excitement raged that night in the 
city. On the next day (April 3) Richmond was occu- 
pied by colored troops of the Union army, under 
General Weitzel ; and the Confederacy had no longer 
a capital. 



3i8 YOUNG folks' united states. 

Lee made courageous efforts to retreat with his army ; 
but he was closely followed up by Sheridan, and the 
pressure of hunger and exhaustion upon his' troops was 
so severe, that, as an eye-witness said, " Hundreds 
dropped from exhaustion, and thousands, let fall their 
muskets from inability to carry them farther." On the 
9th of April, 1865, at Appomattox Court-House, Lee 
surrendered his army to Grant, on terms honorable to 
both parties. His surrender was soon followed by that 
of the other Confederate generals. Jefferson Davis was 
captured in Georgia, disguised in woman's clothing ; 
and the Great Rebellion, or civil war, was at an end. 
It had lasted four years ; had cost during the last year 
more than three million dollars a day ; and left the 
United States with a debt of more than two billion 
seven hundred million dollars ($2,749 491,745). It had 
also cost more than half a million lives, including both 
sides. But it had abolished slavery, a most important 
result, and one that few men could have anticipated. 
And it had established the principle, that the United 
States must be regarded as a nation one and indivisi- 
ble, and not as a mere alliance of independent States. 

It had also proved, what some had doubted, that the 
strength, courage, and patriotism of the American peo- 
ple, were still as great as in the period of the Revolu- 
tion. There were few families. North or South, which 
did not suffer some bereavement during the long con- 
test. On both sides the self-devotion of the women, 
at home equalled that of the soldiers in the field ; and 
in the Northern States, especially, the multitudes of 
women who worked for the " Sanitary Commission " 
rendered very valuable services to their country. 



SINCERITY OF THE SOUTH. 319 

The sacrifices made during the civil war were as 
great as those made in the Revolutionary War ; while 
the armies and tlie battles were on a far larger scale. 
The Confederate army was, from the beginning, out- 
numbered by its opponents ; but it had greatly the 
advantage of position, since it is far easier to defend 
any region than to conquer it. Each side learned to 
respect the courage and resources of the other, and to 
feel, that, if Americans were once re-united, no foreign 
power could ever endanger their liberties. It was not, 
indeed, possible that those who had fought for the flag 
of their country could pay equal honor to those who 
tried to strike it down. But they could remember that 
most of these mistaken men had been taught from 
childhood that their first allegiance was due to their 
own State, not to the United States ; so that they felt 
themselves loyal, in their own way, even when fighting 
against their nation. This delusion ended, let us hope, 
with the war ; but it is necessary to remember it, in 
order to do justice to those who fought for the Confed- 
erate side. So far as the object of the secessionists was 
to retain possession of their slaves, no excuse is to be 
made for them, except that the Union Government did 
not itself order the emancipation of the slaves until 
compelled to it by military necessity. For the cruelties 
inflicted by the Confederates on Union prisoners during 
the war, no excuse at all is to be made, nor for deeds 
like the massacre of colored troops at Fort Pillow. But 
these were, after all, the acts of a few ; and the general 
feeling in both armies was, no doubt, that of sincere 
and manly opponents. 

No one has ever expressed the feelings of thoughtful 



320 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

and conscientious men at the close of the war, so 
simply and impressively as did President Lincoln in his 
second Inaugural Address, just before the fall of Rich- 
mond. The following is a portion of this address : — 

" Neither party expected for the war the magnitude 
or the duration which it has already attained. Neither 
anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease 
with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. 
Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less 
fundamental and astounding. 

" Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same 
God ; and each invokes his aid against the other. It 
may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a 
just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the 
sweat of other men's faces ; but let us judge not, that 
we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be 
answered. That of neither has been answered fully. 
The Almighty has his own purposes. ' Woe unto the 
world because of offences, for it must needs be that 
offences come ; but woe to that man by whom the 
offence cometh.' If we shall suppose that American 
slavery is one of these offences, which, in the provi- 
dence of God, must needs come, but which, having con- 
tinued through his appointed time, he now wills to 
remove, and that he gives to both North and South 
this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the 
offence came, shall we discern therein any departure 
from those divine attributes which the believers in a 
living God always ascribe to him ? Fondly do we hope, 
fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war 
may soon pass away. Yet if God wills that it con- 
tinue until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two 



EXTRACT FROM MR. LINCOLN S ADDRESS. 32 1 

hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be 
sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the 
lash shall be paid with another drawn with the sword ; 
as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must 
be said, ' The judgments of the Lord are true and 
righteous altogether.' 

"With malice towards none, with charity for all, with 
firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, 
let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up 
the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have 
borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphans, 
to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a 
lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. GRANT. 

THERE was joy, with thanksgiving, over the 
greater part of the nation, when the news of 
Lee's surrender came over the telegraphic wires, and it 
was known that the weary war had ended. Five days 
after (April 14, 1865), the same wires sent far and wide 
another message, turning joy into mourning. It was 
the news that President Lincoln had been shot while sit- 
ting in the theatre at Washington, by an assassin, Wilkes 
Booth. A similar attempt was made upon the life of 
Mr. Seward, the secretary of state ; and there was 
evidence of a plot to remove all the leading members 
of the government. It does not appear that the plot 
extended far, or that any of the Confederate leaders 
were responsible for it. But no one knew, at the time, 
how far it might reach ; and so the excitement was very 
great, apart from the lamentation. 

President Lincoln had greatly endeared himself to 
the nation during his difficult term of office. No 
president since Washington had been put to so severe 
a test ; and no president, unless it were Washington, 
had so thoroughly won the confidence of the people. 
His simplicity, honesty, and fidelity, his fearless pur- 
pose, sympathetic heart, and quaint humor, had never 
322 



AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. 323 

failed in the darkest hours of the war ; and he had 
been elected by an overwhelming vote to a second 
term of office. Every one felt that great and difficult 
problems were before the nation, now that peace had 
come ; and everybody looked to the future with more 
confidence, from having Abraham Lincoln as Chief 
Magistrate. When the news of his death came, the 
mourning extended through all parties, and to all re- 
gions of the country, even to the States lately in insur- 
rection. The colored people, especially, felt that they 
had lost more than a father. And when the funeral 
procession of the president passed slowly, by railway, 
with frequent pauses, from Washington to his former 
home in Springfield, 111., it found every railway station 
filled with mourners, and draped with signs of grief. 

But it showed the strength of republican government, 
that even this sudden death of the head of the nation 
produced no confusion, and no new rebellion. Vice- v 
President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee at once took 
the place of Mr. Lincoln ; and the wheels of govern- 
ment went on. The new president found difficult duties 
awaiting him. To be sure, some things that had seemed 
likely to be hard proved easy. It had been predicted 
that the volunteer army of a million men, drawn from 
the people, would not easily be merged into the people 
again, but would retain warlike habits, and be danger- 
ous to the peace of the country. This fear proved 
groundless : soldiers and officers were alike glad to 
lay down their arms, and to return to the peaceful pur- 
suits whence they came. But there was a vast debt 
to be provided for ; and loans and taxes had to be 
planned for this purpose. Then all the region lately 



324 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

in rebellion had to be re-organized into a peaceful 
community ; and opinions varied greatly as to the best 
way of doing this. Some thought that the seceding 
States had a right 10 come back whenever they would, 
with their former power, and without any new condi- 
tions. Others thought, that, by seceding, they had for- 
feited all rights as States, and had again become Terri- 
tories, with which the United States Government might 
do as it would. But neither of these views was fully 
adopted. 

To begin with, the President issued a proclamation 
granting amnesty, or pardon, to most of those engaged 
in the Rebellion. Then Congress established the 
Freedmen's Bureau, an organization to provide for 
the loyal and suffering classes, black or white, of the 
Southern States. Slavery was then formally abolished 
by an amendment to the United States Constitution ; 
and another amendment was passed, looking toward the 
enfranchisement of the colored people. " Reconstruc- 
tion acts " were passed, restoring the seceded States 
to their places in the Union, on condition that they 
should annul their acts of secession, declare void all 
debts incurred in fighting for the Rebellion, and adopt 
the constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. The 
new president was very much opposed to making any 
of these conditions, as he held that the seceded States 
had a right to come back at any time, unrestrained. 
He, therefore, vetoed several of these measures ; and, 
though they were passed over his veto, it led to an 
increasing hostility between him and Congress. Finally, 
there was an attempt made to " impeach " him, and 
cause his removal from office. For the first time in 



JOHNSON S ADMINISTRATION. 325 

the history of the government, a president of the 
United States was put on trial before the Senate, sitting 
as a court of impeachment, with the chief justice of 
the Supreme Court presiding. In such a trial, a vote 
of two-thirds of the Senate is needed for conviction ; 
and, as one vote was wanting to this number, Mr. 
Johnson was not removed. He was not, however, re- 
elected as president. 

During his and his predecessor's terms, there had 
happened events more important than any since the 
United States had existed. A great civil war had been 
fought and ended ; and slavery had been abolished, 
first by presidential proclamation, and then by consti- 
tutional amendment, — an event which the most far- 
sighted philanthropist had scarcely expected to live to 
see. For other events, three States had been added to 
the Union. One of these. West Virginia, had been sep- 
arated from the "Old Dominion," and admitted as a 
separate State, in 1861 ; this being done by request of 
the inhabitants, who were loyal throughout the war. 
The other two States were Nevada (1864), formed out 
of territory ceded by Mexico, and named from the 
Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Mountains ; and Nebraska 
(1867), formed out of the Louisiana Purchase, and 
named from an Indian word meaning " Shallow River." 
The great region called Alaska had been also pur- 
chased from the Russian Government, in 1867, for more 
than seven million dollars ($7,200,000) ; and, though 
not likely to be largely inhabited by any but an Esqui- 
mau population, it was expected to be of great value 
for its furs. Its area was about half a million square 
miles (577,390), and brought the whole area of the 



326 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

nation to about three and a half million square miles 
(3,559,091), instead of the original eight hundred thou- 
sand (820,680). Instead of the original thirteen States, 
with three millions of people, there are now thirty-seven 
States and twelve Territories, with a population (in 
1870) of more than thirty-eight millions (38,558,371). 

The next president of the United States was Ulysses 
S. Grant of Illinois, whose great services during the civil 
war had won for him the gratitude of the nation. He 
was first inaugurated in 1869, and entered on a second 
term in 1873 ; but the events of his administration are 
yet too recent to be fully or fairly described. Much 
has, however, taken place since he entered upon his 
term of office. All the seceded States have been 
finally restored to the Union. The successive steps 
by which the great increase of territory was brought 
about will be found marked on the map which is pre- 
fixed to this volume. The enormous debt incurred dur- 
ing the war has been greatly diminished ; more than 
one-fifth of it (six hundred million dollars) having 
been paid. An amendment to the Constitution (the 
Fifteenth), providing that the right of suffrage shall not 
be withheld, from any citizen of the United States, "on 
account of race, color, or previous condition of servi- 
tude," was declared adopted March ;^o, 1870, having 
been proposed by Congress, and ratified by three-fourths 
of the States. A treaty was made with Great Britain 
(May 8, 1871), providing for an international tribunal 
to be held at Geneva, which should decide all claims of 
the United States for damages done by those Confed- 
erate privateers which had been built or refitted in 
English ports. This tribunal awarded fifteen and a 



GRANTS ADMINISTRATION. 327 

half million dollars, in gold, as the amount to be paid by 
Great Britain ; and it was accordingly paid in 1873. 
This was a result very encouraging to those who hope 
that wars will gradually cease, and the disputes of na- 
tions, like those of individuals, be left to the courts to 
settle. Never before, in the history of the world, was 
there so important an example of peaceful arbitration. 

Nearly ten years have now passed (1875) since the 
great civil war ended. During this time the leading 
statesmen of the war have passed away. President 
Lincoln himself ; William H. Seward, his Secretary of 
State ; Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War ; Salmon 
P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, and afterwards 
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ; and Charles 
Sumner, the leader of the United States Senate, — 
have all died. The questions upon which the war 
turned are, to a great extent, settled ; and new issues 
are arising, upon some of which the political parties 
of the future will be based. There are various ques- 
tions which are important, or are claimed as important, 
— currency reform, civil service reform, revenue reform, 
woman suffrage, the rights of labor, and matters per- 
taining to temperance, education, and religion. It is 
impossible to foresee what shape these questions may 
take in the future, which of them will prove most promi- 
nent, or which will lead to lasting reforms. 

Yet some things we may safely assume. We may 
take for granted that wealth will go on increasing ; and 
that the immense activity and energy that have marked 
the American people will still continue. Much as has 
been accomplished in the way of material progress, 
more remains to be done. It is but five years since 



32i 



YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



the Pacific Railway was opened, and but eight years 
since the Atlantic Cable was successfully laid ; and it 
is probable that greater wonders of communication are 
still in store for us. The greatest triumphs achieved in 
the United States have thus far been in the direction of 
mechanical ingenuity ; and American literature, science, 
and art have not yet won the applause of the world 
quite so thoroughly as have American sewing-machines 
and agricultural implements. Yet the poetry of Bryant, 
Whittier, and Longfellow ; the prose of Irving, Haw- 
thorne, and Emerson ; the scientific discoveries of 
Franklin, Morse, and Morton ; the paintings of Copley, 
Allston, and Page; the sculptures of Powers, Story, 
and Harriet Hosmer, — have obtained great and per- 
haps permanent reputation. The spread of popular 
instruction in America is very wide ; higher education is 
constantly on the increase ; and there is no reason why 
the United States should not become more and more 
the chosen home of literature, science, and art, as well 
as of mechanical ingenuity and business skill. 

And we can safely assume something more than this. 
Habits and opinions alter with every generation ; but 
the great principles of right and wrong do not change. 
Those who founded the American colonies left to their 
descendants many examples of noble lives and unselfish 
purposes ; and we may be very sure that those who are 
to carry on the institutions they founded cannot prosper 
without something of the same high motive and reli- 
gious self-devotion. The first great mission of the 
nation was that of proving to the world that republican 
government, on a large scale, was practicable. In this 
attempt, success has been attained, in spite of the great 



DUTY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 329 

difficulty resulting from the presence of slavery, and 
the annual arrival of many thousand immigrants, wholly 
untrained in republican institutions. The civil Avar has 
proved that the people of the United States, when at 
peace among themselves, are strong enough for self- 
protection against any foreign power. The thing now 
essential to Americans is to guard against internal as 
well as external dangers, to purify their own govern- 
ment, educate their own community, give to the world 
an example of pure lives and noble purposes ; and so 
conduct the affairs of the Republic, that, as President 
Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, " Government 
of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall 
not perish from the earth." 



APPENDIX. 



BOOKS FOR CONSULTATION. 

GENERAL WORKS. 

Bancroft's, Hildreth's, and Grahame's " United States." 

EARLY INHABITANTS. 

History. — Squier and Davis's " Ancient Monuments " (Smithsonian Con- 
tributions, vol. i.). 

Baldwin's "Ancient America." 

Foster's "Prehistoric Races of America." 

Jones's " Mound-Builders of Tennessee." 

Shaler's " Time of the Mammoths " (" American Naturalist," iv. 148). 
Fiction. — Mathews's " Behemoth ; a Legend of the Mound-Builders." 

AMERICAN INDIANS. 

History. — Schoolcraft's " History and Condition of the Indian Tribes." 

Parkman's " Jesuits in America " ( Introduction). 

Field's "Indian Bibliography." 
Fiction. — Cooper's " Leatherstocking Tales." 
Poetry. — Longfellow's " Hiawatha." 

Whittier's " Bridal of Pennacook." 

Lowell's " Chippewa Legend." 

DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS. 

History. — Prescott's " Conquest of Mexico." 

Parkman's " Pioneers of France in the New World " and " Discovery 
of the Great West." 

331 



332 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

T. Irving's " Conquest of Florida." 

Anderson's " Discovery of America by the Northmen." 
Voyages and Travels. — Hakluyt's "Voyages touching the Discovery of 
America." 

Kohl's "Discovery of the East Coast of America" (Maine Hist. 
Soc, 2d ser., vol. i ). 
Biography. — \V. Irving's " Columbus " and " Companions of Columbus." 
Fiction. — Ballantyne's " Norsemen of the West " [Norsemen]. 

Bird's "Calavar" and " Infidel" [Mexico]. 

Wallace's " Fair God" [Mexico]. 

Simms's "■ Damsel of Darien " [Balboa], " Vasconselos" [De Soto], 
and " The Lily and the Totem." 
Poetry. — Whittier's " Norsemen." 

Longfellow's "Skeleton in Armor." 

Barlow's " Columbiad." 

Lowell's "Columbus." 

Rogers's "Columbus." 

NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL HISTORY. 

History. — Palfrey's and Elliott's " New England." 
State Histories : Williamson's "Maine." 

Belknap's " New Hampshire." 

Thompson's " Vermont." 

Barry's " Massachusetts." 

Arnold's " Rhode Island." 

Trumbull's "Connecticut." 
Young's "Chronicles of the Pilgrims " and " Chronicles of Massachu- 
setts." 
Cheever's "Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth." 
Banvard's " Plymouth and the Pilgrims." 
Upham's "History of Witchcraft." 
Mather's " Magnalia." 
Biography. — Winthrop's " Life and Letters." 

Sparks's "American Biographies:" Vane (vol. iv.), Mather (vi.), 

Phips (vii.), Williams (xiv. ), Gorton (xv. ). 
Fiction. — Miss Sedgwick's " Hope Leslie," " New England Tale," and 

" Redwood." 
Mrs. Child's " Hobomok." 
Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter," and "Legends of the Old Province 

House " (in " Twice Told Tales "). 
Thompson's " Green Mountain Boys." 



BOOKS FOR CONSULTATION. ^^^ 

Motley's " Merrj- Mount." 

Mrs. Cheney's " Peep at the Pilgrims." 

Mrs. Lee's "Naomi." 

Holland's " Bay Path." 

Whittier's " Margaret Smith's Journal." 

Sears's "Pictures of the Olden Time." 
Poetry. — Longfellow's " John Endicott," "Giles Corey," and "Court- 
ship of Miles Standish." 

Whittier's "Changeling," "Wreck of Rivermouth," "Exiles," and 
" Cassandra Southwick." 

Pierpont's " Pilgrim Fathers.'" 

Mrs. Hemans's '• Landing of the Pilgrims." 

COLONI.\L HISTORY OF MIDDLE ST.-VTES. 

History. — State Histories : Brodhead's and O'Callaghan's " New York." 
Whitehead's " New Jersey." 
Sypher's " Pennsylvania." 
Irving's '• Knickerbocker's New York." 
Biography. — Clarkson's and Dixon's " Penn." 

Sparks's "American Biographies : " Cleveland's "Hudson" (vol. x.), 
Ellis's "Penn" (xxii.). 
Fiction. — Irving's " Wolfert's Roost" and "Rip Van Winkle" (in 
"Sketch Book"). 
Paulding's " Dutchman's Fireside '' and " Book of St. Nicholas." 
Cooper's " Last of the Mohicans," " Water-Witch," and " Satanstoe." 
Mrs. Grant's " Memoirs of an American Lady." 
Myers's " First of the Knickerbockers" and " Young Patroon." 
Bird's " Hawks of Hawk-Hollow." 

COLONIAL HISTORY OF SOUTHERN STATES. 

History. — Smith's "True Relation of Virginia" (reprinted, Boston, 
iS66). 
State Histories : McSherry's "Maryland." 
Campbell's "Virginia." 
Williamson's " North Carolina." 
Ramsay's "South Carolina." 
Stevens's "Georgia." 
Jefferson's " Notes on Virginia." 
Meade's " Old Churches of Virginia." 
.5wj-ra///>'. — Sparks's "American Biographies:" Smith (ii.), Oglethorpe 
(xii.), Calvert (xix.). 



334 " YOUNG folks' united states. 

Fiction. — Thackeray's " Virginians." 

Cooke's " Virginia Comedians." 

James's " Old Dominion." 

Carruthers' "Cavaliers of Virginia" and "Knights of the Horseshoe." 

Defoe's " Jaqucs " [Virginia]. 

Hopkins's " Youth of the Old Dominion." 

Paulding's " Konigsmark " [Maryland]. 

Kennedy's " Rob of the Bowl " [Maryland]. 
Poetry. — Mrs. Sigourney's " Pocahontas." 

INDIAN WARS. 

History. — Drake's " Book of the Indians " and " Indian Wars." 

Parkman's " Conspiracy of Pontiac." 

Morgan's " League of the Iroquois." 

Warburton's " Conquest of Canada." 
Biography. — Sparks's "American Biographies;" Lives of Eliot (v.), 

Braincrd (viii.), Mason (xiii.). 
Fiction. — Cooper's " Last of the Mohicans " [Fort William Henry]. 

Thackeray's " Virginians" [Braddock and Quebec]. 

James's " Ticonderoga." 

Tiffany's " Brandon." 

Hall's " Twice Taken " [Louisburg]. 
Poetry. — Longfellow's " Evangeline." 

Whittier's " Pentucket," "St. John," " Mary Garvin," and " Mogg 
Megone." 

REVOLUTION. 

History. — Lossing's "Pictorial Ficld-Book of the Revolution." 

Frothingham's " Siege of Boston " and " Rise of the Republic." 
Biography. — Sparks's "Washington " and "Franklin." 

Irving's "Washington." 

Franklin's " Autobiography." 

Parton's "Franklin," "Jefferson," and "Burr," 

Parker's "Historic Americans." 

C. F. Adams's "Life cf John Adams," and "John Adams's Diary." 

Goodrich's "Lives of Signers of the Declaration." 

G. W. Greene's " Life of General Greene." 

Wirt's "Patrick Henry." 

Sparks's "American Biographies:" Lives of Stark (i.), Allen (i.), 
Arnold (iii.), Pulaski (xii.). 
Fiction. — Cooper's "Spy," "Pilot," "Lionel Lincoln," "Wyandotte," 
and " Chain- Bearer." 



BOOKS FOR CONSULTATION. 335 

Motley's " Morton's Hope." 
Mrs. Child's " Rebels." 
Thompson's " Rangers." 
Miss Sedgwick's " Linwoods." 
Kennedy's " Horse-Shoe Robinson." 
Simms's " Mellichampe" and " Partisan." 
Paulding's " Old Continental." 
Winthrop's " Edwin Brothertoft." 
Hawthorne's "Septimius Felton." 
P(,^/^^. _ Longfellow's " Paul Revere's Ride." 
Bryant's " Song of Marion's Men." 
Whittier's " Rangers." 
Trumbull's " McFingal." 
Calvert's " Arnold and Andre." 
Moore's "Songs and Ballads of the Revolution." 

FROM THE REVOLUTIO.N TO THE CIVIL WAR. 

History. — Cooper's " History of the Navy of the United States." 
Griswold's " Court of Washington." 
Lossing's '' Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812." 
Wilson's " Rise and Fall of the Slave Power." 
Giddings's " Exiles of Florida.'" 
Mayer's " History of the Mexican War." 
Jay's ''Review of the Mexican War." 
Dunlop's " History of the Arts of Design in America." 
Duyckinck's "American Literature." 
Biography. — C. F. Adams's "Life of J. Q. Adams." 
Mrs. Adams's "Letters." 
Parton's "Jackson." 
E. Quincy's " Josiah Ouincy." 

Sparks's "American Biographies:" Fulton (x.), Fitch (xvi.), De- 
catur (xxi.), Boone (xxiii.). 
Benton's " Thirty Years' View." 
Upham's "Fremont." 
Frothingham's " Theodore Parker." 
Redpath's and Webb's " John Brown." 
Travels. — " Lewis and Clarke's Expedition." 
Fiction. — Wirt's " Letters of a British Spy." 
Judd's " Margaret" [New England]. 
Pauldmg's " Westward Ho" [Virginians in Kentucky]. 
Bird's." Nick of the Woods" [Indians and Kentucky settlers]. 
Kennedy's " Swallow Barn " [Virginia]. 



336 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

Charles Brockden Brown's Novels. 

Smith's "Jack Downing." 

Hall's "Legends of the West." 

Mrs. Stowe's "Minister's Wooing," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and 

" Dred." 
Hildreth's " White Slave." 
Poeiry. — Colton's " Tecumseh." 
Street's " Osceola." 

Lowell's " Biglow Papers " (first series : Mexican War). 
Whittier's "Angels of Buena Vista " and " Antislavery Poems." 

CIVIL WAR. 

History. — Moore's " Rebellion Record." 

Greeley's "American Conflict." 

Draper's "American Civil War." 

Pollard's "Lost Cause" (confederate). 

Thayer's " Youth's History of the Rebellion." 

Nichols's "Story of the Great March." 

Coffin's " Following the Flag " and " My Days and Nights on the 
Battlefield." 

Higginson's "Army Life in a Black Regiment." 
Biography. — Badeau"s "' Military History of General Grant." 

Bowman's and Irwin's "Sherman and his Campaigns." 

Headley's " Farragut and our Naval Commanders." 

Pollard's " lefferson Davis." 

Nason's " Sumner." 

Holland's and Raymond's " Lincoln." 

Chesney's "Military Biographies" (Grant, Lee, Farragut). 

Higginson's " Harvard Memorial Biographies" (Memoirs of Harvard 
Students and Graduates in the W'ar). 
Fiction. — Mrs. Child's " Romance of the Republic." 

Trowbridge's " Cudjo's Cave." "Three Scouts," and "Drummer 
Boy." 

De Forest's " Miss Ravenel's Conversion." 

Coffin's " Winning his Way." 

Mrs. Austin's " Dora Darling." 
Poeiry. — Moore's "Lyrics of Loyalty" and "Rebel Rhymes." 

Simms's " War Poetry of the South." 

Whittier's " In War Time." ■ 

Lowell's " Biglow Papers" (second series) and " Harvard Commem- 
oration Ode." 

Mrs. Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic." 



LIST OF PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS. 



337 





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33^ 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



III. 



LIST OF STATES AND TERRITORIES. 



New Hampshire. 
Massachusetts. . 
Rhode Island . . 
Connecticut. . . . 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania . . . 

Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

North Carolina. . 
South Carolina. 

Georgia 

Vermont. ..... 

Kentucky 

Tennessee 

Ohio 

Louisiana 

Indiana 



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27 


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28 






^ 


29 




30 


J5 


31 


H 


32 i 


1 791 


33 


1792I 


34 1 


1796 


3S i 


1802 


36 


1812 


37 


1816; 


38 



Mississippi . .. 
Illinois .... 

Alabama 

Maine 

Missouri 

Arkansas 

Michigan . . . . , 

Florida 

Te.xas 

Iowa 

Wisconsin .... 
California.. . . 
Minnesota . . . 

Oregon 

Kansas 

West Virginia 

N evada 

N ebraska 



1817 
1818 
1819 
1820 
1S21 
1836 

1837 
1845 
1845 
1846 
1848 
1850 
185S 
1859 
1861 
1863 
1864 
1867 



NO. 


TERRITORIES. 


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hi 2 

h < 
< 


NO. 


TERRITORIES. 


Si 



1 


New Mexico 


1850 
1850 

1861 
1861 
1863 


7 
8 

9 
10 
II 
12 




1S63 
1864 
1868 


2 


Utah 




3 
4 

I 


Washington 




Dakota 


Dist. Columbia.. 

Indian Territory 

Alaska 






Colorado 

Arizona 


/ Not yet 
) organized. 



AREA OF THE UNITED STATES. 339 



IV. 



AREA OF THE UNITED STATES. 

SQ. MILES. 

Original limits of the Thirteen States 820,680 

Louisiana, purchased of France in 1803, for $15,000,000 . . 8997579 

Florida, purchased of Spain in 1819, for $5,000,000 . . 66,900 

Territory confirmed by the Oregon Treaty in 1842 and 1846 . 308,052 

Texas annexed in 1846 (Texas debt $7,500,000) . . . 318,000 

New Mexico and California in 1847 (cost of the war$i 5,000,000) 522,955 

"Gadsden Purchase" of Mexico in 1853, for $10,000,000 . 45i535 

Alaska, purchased of Russia in 1867, for $7,200,000 . , 577)39° 



3.559.091 



[See Frontispiece.] 



34° YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



V. 



THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, ADOPTED 
BY CONGRESS JULY 4, 1776. 

A DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED. 

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for 
one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected 
them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth 
the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of 
nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of man- 
kind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them 
to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created 
equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain in- 
alienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness ; that, to secure these rights, governments are insti- 
tuted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of 
the governed ; that, whenever any form of government becomes 
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or 
abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation 
on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to 
them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. 
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established 
should not be changed for light and transient causes ; and, accord- 
ingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed 
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by 
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a 
long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same 
object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, 
it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such a government, 
and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has 
been the patient sufferance of these Colonies ; and such is now the 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 34I 

necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of 
government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is 
a history Qf repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct 
object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States. 
To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world : — 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome, and 
necessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and 
pressing importance, unless suspended in their operations, till his 
as'sent should be obtained ; and, when so suspended, he has utterly 
neglected to attend to them. 

He has refuse 1 to pass other laws for the accommodation of 
large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the 
right of representation in the legislature ; a right inestimable to 
them, and formidable to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, un- 
comfortable, and distant from the repository of their public records, 
for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his 
measures. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly for opposing, 
with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause 
others to be elected ; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of 
annihilation, have returned to the ])eople at large, for their exercise ; 
the State remaining, in the mean time, exposed to all the dangers 
of invasions from without, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States ; 
for that purpose, obstructing the laws for the naturalization of 
foreigners ; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration 
hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his 
assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure 
of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither 
swarms of officers, to harass our people, and eat out their sub- 
stance. 

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies, with- 
out the consent of our legislature. 



342 YOUNG FOLKS UNITP:D STATES. 

He has affected to render the military independent of, and 
superior to, the civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction 
foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws ; 
giving his assent to their acts of jjretended legislation : — 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us ; 

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any 
murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these 
States ; 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ; 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent ; 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury; 

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended 
offences ; 

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring 
province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlar- 
ging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit 
instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these 
Colonies : 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable 
laws, and altering, fundamentally, the powers of our governments ; 

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves 
invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his 
protection, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our 
towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercena- 
ries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, 
already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely 
paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the 
head of a civilized nation. 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the 
high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the 
executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by 
their hands. 

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has en- 
deavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless 



DECLARATION OF INDEPEXDEN'CE. 343 

Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished 
destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for 
redress in the most humble terms ; our repeated petitions have 
been answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose character 
is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to 
be the ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. 
We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their 
legislature to e.xtend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We 
have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and 
settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and 
magnanimity, and we have conjured them, by the ties of our 
common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would in- 
evitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, 
too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. 
We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces 
our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, 
enemies in war ; in peace, friends. 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of 
America, in general congress assembled, appealing to the Su- 
preme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, 
in the name and by the authority of the good people of these 
Colonies, solemnly publish and declare. That these United Colo- 
nies are, and of right ought to be. Free and Jiidepeiident States ; 
that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, 
and that all political connection between them and the State of 
Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved ; and that, as 
Free and Independent States, they have full power to levy war, con- 
clude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all 
other acts and things which Independent States may of right do. 
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on 
the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to 
each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor 

John Hancock. 

New Hampshire. — Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew 
Thornton, 



344 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

Massachusetts Bay. — Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert 
Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry. 

Rhode Island, etc. — Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery. 

Connecticut. — Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William 
Williams, Oliver Wolcott. 

New York. — William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis 
Lewis, Lewis Morris. 

New Jersey. — Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis 
Hopkinson, John Plart, Abraham Clark. 

Pennsylvania. — Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin 
Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George 
Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross. 

Delaware. — Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas M'Kean. 

Maryland. — Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, 
Charles Carroll of Carrollton. 

Virginia. — George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas 
Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Light- 
foot Lee, Carter Braxton. 

North Carolina. — William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John 
Penn. 

South Carolina. — Edward Rutledge, Thomas Hayward, Jr., 
Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton. 

Georgia. — Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 345 

VI. 
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

We, the People of the United .States, in order to fonn a more 
perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, pro- 
vide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and 
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do 
ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of 
America. 

ARTICLE I. 

Section i. — All legislative powers herein granted shall be 
vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of 
a Senate and House of Representatives. 

Sect. 2. — The House of Representatives shall be composed of 
members chosen every second year by the people of the several 
States, and the electors in each State shall have the qualifications 
requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State 
legislature. 

No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained 
to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of 
the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhab- 
itant of that State in which he shall be chosen. 

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among 
the several States which may be included within this Union, accord- 
ing to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by 
adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound 
to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, 
three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be 
made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of 
the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, 
in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of rep- 
resentatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand ; but 



346 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

each State shall have at least one representative ; and, until such 
enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be 
entitled to choose three, Massachusetts, eight, Rhode Island and 
Providence Plantations one, Connecticut, five. New York, six, New 
Jersey, four, Pennsylvania, eight, Delaware, one, Maryland, six, 
Virginia, ten. North Carolina, five, South Carolina, five, and 
Georgia, three. 

When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, 
the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill 
such vacancies. 

The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and 
other officers ; and shall have the sole power of impeachment. 

Sect. 3. — The Senate of the United States shall be composed 
of two senators from each State, chosen by the legislature thereof, 
for six years ; and each senator shall have one vote. 

Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of 
the first election, they shall be divided, as equally as may be, into 
three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall be 
vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second class, 
at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class, at the 
expiration of the sixth year, so that one-third may be chosen 
every second year ; and if vacancies happen, by resignation or 
otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any State, the 
executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the 
next meeting of the legislature, which shall then fill such 
vacancies. 

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the 
age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United 
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that 
State for which he shall be chosen. 

The Vice-President of the United States shall be president of 
the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided. 

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a presi- 
dent /r^ tempore, in the absence of the Vice-President, or when he 
shall exercise the office as President of the United States. 

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. 
When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. 
When the President of the United States is tried, the chief justice 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 347 

shall preside ; and no person shall be convicted without the con- 
currence of two-thirds of the members present. 

Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further 
than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and 
enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States ; 
but the party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and subject to 
indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law. 

Sect. 4. — The times, places, and manner of holding elections for 
senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by 
the legislature thereof ; but the Congress may, at any time, by 
law, make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of 
choosing senators. 

The Congress shill assemble at least once in every year ; and 
such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless 
they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Sect. 5. — Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, 
and qualifications of its own members ; and a majority of each 
shall constitute a quorum to do business ; but a smaller number 
may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel 
the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such 
penalties as each house may provide. 

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish 
its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of 
two-thirds, e.xpel a member. 

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from 
time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in 
their judgment require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the 
members of either house, on any question, shall, at the desire of 
one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. 

Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without, 
the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to 
any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. 

Sect. 6. — The senators and representatives shall receive a com- 
pensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out 
of the treasury of the United States. They shall, in all cases 
except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged 
from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respec- 
tive houses, and in going to and returning from the same ; and, for 



348 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned 
in any other place. 

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which 
he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority 
of the United States which shall have been created, or the emolu- 
ments whereof shall have been increased, during such time ; and 
no person holding any office under the United States shall be a 
member of either house during his continuance in office. 

Sect. 7. — All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the 
House of Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur 
with amendments, as on other bills. 

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives 
and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the 
President of the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it, 
but if not he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in 
which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at 
large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such 
reconsideration, two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the 
bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other 
house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and, if approved 
by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But, in all 
such cases, the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas 
and nays ; and the names of the persons voting for and against the 
bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively. 
If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days 
(Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the 
same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless 
the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which 
case it shall not be a law. 

Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the concurrence of the 
Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except 
on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President 
of the United States ; and, before the same shall take effect, shall 
be approved by him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re- 
passed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a 
bill. 

Sect. 8. — The Congress shall have power : — 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 349 

To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay 
the debts, and provide for the common defence and general welfare, 
of the United States; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall 
be uniform throughout the United States : 

To borrow money on the credit of the United States : 

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the 
several States, and with the Indian tribes : 

To establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws 
on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States : 

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, 
and fix the standard of weights and measures : 

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities 
and current coin of the United States : 

To establish post-offices and post-roads : 

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing 
for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to 
their respective writings and discoveries. 

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court : 

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the 
high seas, and offences against the law of nations : 

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make 
rules concerning captures on land and water : 

To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation of money 
to that use shall be for a longer term than two years : 

To provide and maintain a navy : 

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land 
and naval forces : 

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of 
the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions : 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, 
and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the 
service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, 
the aopointment of the officers, and the authority of training the 
militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress : 

To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over 
such district (not exceeding ten miles scjuare) as may, by cession 
of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the 
seat of government of the United States, and to exercise like 



350 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legisla- 
ture of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of 
forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful build- 
ings : — And, 

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carry- 
ing into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers 
vested by this Constitution in the government of the United 
States, or in any department or officer thereof. 

Sect. 9. — The migration or importation of such persons, as any 
of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be 
prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight 
hundred and eight ; but a tax, or duty, may be imposed on such 
importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. 

The privilege of the writ of habeas coi-piis ^\\iA not be suspended, 
imless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety 
may require it. 

No bill of attainder or ex fast facto law shall be passed. 

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in pro- 
portion to the census, or enumeration, hereinbefore directed to be 
taken. 

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State, 
No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or 
revenue to the ports of one State over those of another ; nor shall 
vessels bound to or from one State be obliged to enter, clear, or 
pay duties, in another. 

No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in conse- 
quence of appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement 
and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money 
shall be published from time to time. 

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States ; and 
no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, 
without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, 
emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, 
prince, or foreign state. 

Sect. 10. — No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or 
confederation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; 
emit bills of credit ; make any thing but gold and silver coin a 
tender in payment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 351 

facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts ; or grant 
any title of nobility. 

No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any 
imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be abso- 
lutely necessary for executing its inspection laws ; and the net 
produce of all duties and imposts laid by any State on imports or 
exports shall be for the use of the treasury of the United 
States ; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and con- 
trol of the Congress. No State shall, without the consent of 
Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in 
time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another 
State or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually 
invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 

Section i. — The executive power shall be vested in a President 
of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during 
the term of four years, and together with the Vice-President, 
chosen for the same term, be elected as follows : — 

Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature 
thereof may direct, a number of electors equal to the whole 
number of senators and representatives to which the State may 
be entitled in the Congress ; but no senator or representative, or 
person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, 
shall be appointed an elector. 

The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by 
ballot for two persons, of whom one, at least, shall not be an in- 
habitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make 
a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for 
each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed 
to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to 
the president of the Senate. The president of the Senate shall, 
in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
open all the certificates ; and the votes shall then be counted. The 
person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, 
if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors 
appointed ; and if there be more than one who have such majoritv, 
and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Represen- 



352 YOUNG FOLKS' UNITED STATES. 

tatives shall immediately choose, by ballot, one of them for Presi- 
dent ; and if no person have a majority, then, from the five 
highest on the list, the said house shall, in like manner, choose 
the President. But, in choosing the President, the votes shall be 
taken by States ; the representation from each State having one 
vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or 
members from two-thirds of the States ; and a majority of all the 
States shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the 
choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of 
votes of the electors shall be the Vice-President. But, if there 
should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall 
choose from them, by ballot, the Vice-President. 

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, 
and the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall 
be the same throughout the United States. 

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the 
United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, 
shall be eligible to the office of President ; neither shall any per- 
son be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age 
of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the 
United States. 

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his 
death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties 
of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-President ; 
and the Congress may, by law, provide for the case of removal, 
death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice- 
President, declaring what officer shall then act as President ; and 
such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, 
or a President shall be elected. 

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a 
compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished 
during the period for which he shall have been elected ; and he 
shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the 
United States or any of them. 

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the 
following oath or affirmation : — 

" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute 
the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 353 

of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of 
the United States." 

Sect. 2. — The President shall be commander-in-chief of the 
army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the 
several States, when called into the actual service of the United 
States ; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal 
officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject 
relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have 
power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the 
United States, except in cases of impeachment. 

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators 
present concur ; and he shall nominate, and, by and with the ad- 
vice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint, ambassadors, other 
public ministers, and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and 
all other officers of the United , States, whose appointments are 
not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established 
by law : but the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of 
such inferior officers as they think proper, in the President alone, 
in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may 
happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions, 
which shall expire at the end of their next session. 

Sect. 3. — He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress in- 
formation of the state of the Union, and recommend to their 
consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and ex- 
pedient ; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both houses, 
or either of them, and, in case of disagreement between them 
with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to 
such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors 
and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be 
faithfully executed ; and shall commission all the officers of the 
United States. 

Sect. 4. — The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of 
the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment 
for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and 
misdemeanors. 



354 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 

ARTICLE III. 

Section i. — The judicial power of the United States shall be 
vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the 
Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The 
judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their 
offices during good behavior ; and shall, at stated times, receive 
for their services a compensation, which shall not be diminished 
during their continuance in office. 

Sect. 2. — The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and 
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United 
States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their 
authority ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public minis- 
ters and consuls ; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdic- 
tion ; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party ; 
to controversies between two or more States, between a State 
and citizens of another State, between citizens of different 
States, between citizens of the same State claiming lands under 
grants of different States, and between a State, or the citizens 
thereof, and foreign States, citizens, or subjects. 

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and 
consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme 
Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases 
before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate juris- 
diction both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under 
such regulations as the Congress shall make. 

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall 
be by jury ; and such trial shall be held in the State where the 
said crimes shall have been committed ; but, when not committed 
within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the 
Congress may by law have directed. 

Sect. 3. — Treason against the United States shall consist only 
in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving 
them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason 
unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or 
on confession in open court. 

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of 
treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of 
blood or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 355 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section i. — Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to 
the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other 
State. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the 
manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be 
proved, and the effect thereof. 

Sect. 2. — The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all 
privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States. 

A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other 
crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, 
shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from 
which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having 
jurisdiction of the crime. 

No person held to service or labor in one State under the laws 
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or 
regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but 
shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service 
or labor may be due. 

Sect. 3. — New States maybe admitted by the Congress into 
this Union ; but no new State shall be formed or erected within 
the jurisdiction of any other State ; nor any State be formed by 
the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the 
consent of the legislature of the States concerned, as well as of 
the Congress. 

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all 
needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other 
property belonging to the United States ; and nothing in this Con- 
stitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the 
United States, or of any particular State. 

Sect. 4. — The United States shall guarantee to every State in 
this Union a republican form of government, and shall protect each 
of them against invasion ; and on application of the legislature, or 
of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against 
domestic violence. 

article v. 

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem 



356 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on 
the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several 
States, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, 
in either case, shall be valid, to all intents and purposes, as part of 
this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths 
of the several States, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, 
as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by 
the Congress ; Provided, that no amendment, which may be made 
prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, shall in 
any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section 
of the first article ; and that no State, without its consent, shall be 
deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VI. 

All debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before the 
adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United 
States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. 

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall 
be made in pursuance thereof ; and all treaties made, or which shall 
be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the 
supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every State shall be 
bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or laws of any State 
to the contrary notwithstanding. 

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the 
members of the several State legislatures, and all executive and 
judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several 
States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Con- 
stitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualifi- 
cation to any office or public trust under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The ratification of the conventions of nine States shall be suffi- 
cient for the establishment of this Constitution between the States 
so ratifying the same. 

Done in Convention by the ttnanitnous consent of the States present, 
the sei.>entcenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one 
thousand seven hundred and eight-seven, and of the Independence 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 357 

of the United States of America the t^uelfth. In zvitness whereof, 
7iie have hereunto subscribed our names. 

George Washington, President, 
and Deputy from Virginia. 

New Hampshire. — John Langdon, Nicholas Gihnan. 

Massachusetts. — Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King. 

Connecticut. — William Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman. 

New York. — Alexander Hamilton. 

New Jersey. — William Livingston, David Brearly, William 
Patterson, Jonathan Dayton. 

Pennsylvania. — Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robert 
Morris, George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons, Jarcd Ingersoll, 
James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris. 

Delaware. — George Read, Gunning Bedford, Jr., John Dick- 
inson, Richard Bassett, Jacob Broom. 

Maryland. — James McHenry, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, 
Daniel Carroll. 

Virginia. — John Blair, James Madison, Jr. 

North Carolina. — William Blount, Richard Dobbs Spaight, 
Hugh Williamson. 

South Carolina. — John Rutledgc, Charles Cotesworth Pinck- 
ney, Charles Pinckney, Pierce Butler. 

Georgia. — William Few, Abraham Baldwin. 
Attest: 

William Jackson, Secretary. 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 

ARTICLE I. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of 
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ; or abridging the 
freedom of speech or of the press ; or the right of the people 
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a 
redress of grievances. 



358 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



ARTICLE ir. 

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free 
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be 
infringed. 

ARTICLE in. 

No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house 
without the consent of the owner ; nor in time of war, but in a 
manner to be prescribed by law. 

ARTICLE IV. 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, 
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, 
shall not be violated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon prob- 
able cause, supported by oath or atifirmation, and particularly 
describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be 
seized. 

ARTICLE V. 

No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise 
infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand 
jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the 
militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger ; 
nor shall any person be subject, for the same offence, to be twice 
put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled, in any 
criminal case, to be a witness against himself ; nor be deprived ot 
life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor shall 
private property be taken for public use without just compen- 
sation. 

ARTICLE VL 

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to 
a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and 
district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which dis- 
trict shall have been previously ascertained by law ; and to be 
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ; to be con- 
fronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory 
process for obtaining witnesses in his favor ; and to have the 
assistance of counsel for his defence. 



AMENDxMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 359 



ARTICLE VI I. 

Ill suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall 
exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved ; 
and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any 
court of the United States than according to the rules of the com- 
mon law. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines im- 
posed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

ARTICLE IX. 

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not 
be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

ARTICLE X. 

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitu- 
tion, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States 
respectively, or to the people. 

ARTICLE XI. 

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed 
to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted 
against one of the United States by citizens of another .State, or 
by citizens or subjects of any foreign State. 

ARTICLE XIL 

The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by 
ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall 
not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves ; they 
shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and 
in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President ; and they 
shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and 
of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of 
votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit 
sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed 
to the president of the Senate ; the president of the Senate shall, 
in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open 



360 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted : the per- 
son having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the 
President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of 
electors appointed ; and if no person have such majority, then 
from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three 
on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Represen- 
tatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But, in 
choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by States, the 
representation from each State having one vote ; a quorum for 
this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two- 
thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be 
necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall 
not choose a President, whenever the right of choice shall devolve 
upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then 
the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the 
death or other constitutional disability of the President. 

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-Presi- 
dent, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority 
of the whole number of electors appointed ; and if no person 
have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, 
the Senate shall choose the Vice-President : a quorum for the 
purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of sena- 
tors, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a 
choice. 

But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President, 
shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. 

ARTICLE XIIL 

Section i. — Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except 
as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly 
convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place sub- 
ject to their jurisdiction. 

Sect. 2. — Congress shall have power to enforce this Article by 
appropriate legislation. 

article XIV. 

Section i. — All persons born or naturalized in the United 
States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 361 

United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State 
shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges 
or immunities of citizens of the United States ; nor shall any State 
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due pro- 
cess of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the 
equal i)rotection of the laws. 

Sect. 2. — Representatives shall be apportioned among the 
several States, according to their respective numbers, counting the 
whole nmnber of persons in each State, excluding Indians not 
taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for choice of 
electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, 
representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of 
a State, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to 
any of the male inhabitants of such State being twenty-one years 
of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, 
except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of 
representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which 
the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number 
of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. 

Sect. 3. — No person shall be a senator, or representative in 
Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any 
office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any 
State, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Con- 
•■^ress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any 
State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any 
State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have 
engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid 
or comfort to the enemies thereof ; but Congress may, by a vote of 
two-thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Sect. 4. — The validity of the public debt of the United States 
authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pen- 
sions, and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or 
rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States, 
nor any State, shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred 
in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or 
any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave ; but all such 
debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void. 

Sect. 5. — The Congress shall have power to enforce by 
appropriate legislation the provisions of this Article. 



362 YOUNG folks' united STATES. 

ARTICE XV. 

Section i. — The right of citizens of the United States to vote 
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any 
State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of ser- 
vitude. 

Sect. 2. — The Congress shall have power to enforce this 
Article by appropriate legislation. 



INDEX. 



A. 

Acadia, 152. 

Acton, Mass., 180. 

Adams, John, President, 176, ig6, igy, 

217, 221, 231, 238, 239, 260, 261, 262. 
Adams, J. Q., President, 259, 268 
Adams, Samuel, 172, 179, 182, 221. 
Alabama, 234. 255t 257. 289. 
"Alabama," The, 312. 
Alaska, 325. 

Albany, N.Y., 90, 95. '5>. 24'- 
"Albemarle," The. 314. 
Alleghany River, The, 150, 152. 
Alexandria, Va., 296. 
Algonquins, The, iS. 
Alien and Sedition Laws, 233. 
Allen, Ethan, 68, 229. 
Allston, W., 32S. 
Alton, 111., 268. 
Americus Vespucius, 37. 
Anderson, Major Robert, 290. 
Andre, Major John, 2ro. 
Andros, Sir Edmund, 83. 
Animals, Extinct, 2. 
Annapolis, Md., 173, 295. 
Antietam. Md., Battle of, 299 
Antislaverv Societies, 265, 268. 
Appomattox, Va., Lee's Surrender at, 

3.8. 
Aquidneck, 70. 
Arizona, 2S4. 

Arlington Heights, Va., 296. 
"Ark," The, 121. 
Arkansas, 266, 291. 
Arnold, Gen. Benedict, 25, 26, 209, 20, 

211. 
Astor, J. J., 247, 253. 
Astoria, 247. 

Atlanta, Ga., Capture of, 315. 
Atlantic Cable, The, 328. 
Atlantic Ocean, 13. 31. 32. 33. 35. 52- 
Attucks, Crispus, 169. 



B. 

Bacon, Nathaniel, 139. 

Bainbridge, Captain, 237. 

Bailey, Colonel, 311. 

Balboa, 43. 

Ball's Bluff, Va., 297. 

Baltimore, Md., 273, 294, 295. 

Baltimore, George, Lord, 121 

Baltimore, Cecil, Lord, 121, :22. 

Banks, Gen. N. P., 298, 310. 

Barre. Colonel, 162, 163. 

Baton Rouge, La., 293. 

Beauregard, General, 291, 302. 

Bennington, Vt., 205. 

Berkeley, Governor, 139. 

Berkelev, Lord, 99. 

Big Bethel, Va., 296. 

" Blessing of the Bay," The, 84. 

Block, Adrian, 71, 91. 

Block Island, 71, 91. 

" Bonhomme Richard," The, 207, 208. 

Boone, Daniel, 2 3o.* 

Booth, Wilkes, 322. 

Border Ruffians, 283, 286. 

Boston, Mass., 62, 83, 86, 87, 164, 166, 

167, 169, 171, 172. 174. >75. 178, 179. 

181, 182, 183, 184, i8g, 191, 192, 200, 

202, 227, 259. 
Boston Massacre, The, 169. 
" Boston Newsletter," The, 86. 
Boston Port Bill, 173. «74. '75- 
" Bounty-jumpers," 306. 
Braddock, General, 153, i54. i57- 
Bradford, Governor, 133. 
Brainerd, David, 136. 
Breed's Hill, 183, 184. 
Brewster, Elder, 60. 
Brown, Capt. John, 283, 286, 28S. 
Brvant, W. C, 32S. 
Buchanan, James, President, 285, 286. 
Buell. Gen. James, 302. 
Buena Vista, Battle of, 275, 276. 

363 



364 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



Bull Run, Battles of, 296, 299. 
Bunker Hill, Battle of, 178, 183, 188, 

189, 192, 194, 206. 
Burke, Edmund, 174. 
Burns, Anthony, 281. 
Burnside, Gen. A. E., 300. 
Burr, Aaron, 242, 243. 
Butler, Gen. B. K., 295, 303, 304. 
Buttrick, Major, iSo. 

c. 

Cabot, John, 40, 41, 51. 

Cabot, Sebastian, 38, 40, 41, 42, 51. 

Calhoun, J. C, 263, 272. 

California, 277, 278, 280, 281. 

Calvert, Leonard, 121. 

Cambridge, Mass., 37, 86, 87, 136, 174, 

184, 189, 191, 200. 
Canada, 18, 45, 50, 51, 52, 66, 95, 136, 

139, 146, 147, 148. 
Canonicus, 6g. 
Cape Ann, 67, 115. 
Cape Charles, 113. 
Cape Cod, 49, 61, 71, 89, 92. 
Cape Henry, 113. 
Carolinas, The, 124, 127. 
Carteret, Sir George, 99. 
Carver, John, 59. 
Casey, General, 298. 
Castle William, 169, igt. 
Cedar Creek, Va., Battle of, 312. 
Cedar Mountain, Va., Battle of, 299. 
Census of United Stales, 231, 234, 252, 

257, 266, 269, 282, 292, 326. 
Central America, 7. 
Cerro Gordo, 276. 
Champlain, Lake, 205, 209. 
Chapultepec, 276. 
Charles River, 115, 179. 
Charleston, B.C., 126, t73, 191, 202, 205, 

207, 209, 212, 290, 291, 310, 316. 
Chaflestown, Mass , 62, 178, 179,184. 
Charlestown, Va , 28S. 
Chase, S. P., 327. 

Chattanooga, Tenn., Battle of, 309. 
Chesapeake Bay, 112, 121. 
" Chesapeake," The, 236, 249, 250. 
Chickasaw, The, 263. 
Chihuahua, 277. 
Chilton, Mary, 58. 
Choctaws, The, 263. 
Christiana, Del., 107, 108. 
Church, Captain, 13S. 
Churubusco, 276. 
Civil War, The, 293. 
Clark, Capt. William, 245, 246. 
Clayborne, Capt. William, 121, 122. 
Clay, Henry, 280. 



"Clermont," The, 241, 242. 

Clinton, De Witt, 260. 

Clinton, General, 202. 

Coddington, William, 70. 

Coins, early, in New England, 85. 

Colorado, 2. 

Colored Troops, 305, 311, 317, 319. 

Columbus, Christopher, 31, 40. 

Columbia River, 246, 247, 253, 273. 

Columbia, District of, 280. 

"Columbia," The, 246. 

" Common Sense," 195. 

Compromise Measures, 280. 

Concord, Mass., 179, 180, 181, 198. 

Confederacy, The, 297. 

Confederation, The, 214, 215. 

Congress, Continental, 164, 176, 189, 

194, 200. 
Connecticut, 66, 71, 72, 73, 83, 84, 87, 96, 

137, 14S, 159, 165, 183, 196,268. 
Connecticut River, 92. 
Constitution, Federal, The, 2 15, 216, 254, 

256. 
"Constitution," The, 249. 
Continental Army, 199. 
Cook, Captain, 155. 
Copley, J. S., 328, 
Cotton (iin. The, 16. 
Cotton, Rev. John, 136. 
Crown Point, 154. 
Cuba, 37, 47. 
Cumberland, Md., 252. 
Cusliing, Lieutenant, 314. 
Cushing, Mrs., 164. 
Cuttyhunk, Mass., Settlement at, 51. 



D. 



Dahlgren, Admiral, 315. 

Dare, Virginia, 52. 

Dark and Bloody Ground, The, 230. 

"Daughters of Liberty," 173. 

Davis, Capt. Isaac, 180. 

Davis, Jefferson, 290, 317, 318. 

Debt, National, 318, 326. 

Decatur, Lieutenant, 237, 238. 

Declaration of Rights, 164. 

Declaration of Independence, 194, 197, 

igg, 202, 213, 216, 228, 232, 235, 261. 
Deerfield, Mass., 146, 147. 
De Kalb, General, 204. 
Delaware, 93, los, 106, 108, 159. 
De la Ware, Lord, 106, 117. 
Delaware River, 108, 203, 241. 
Democratic Party, 221, 235, 267, 273, 

2S2, 285. 
Detroit, Mich., 157, 158, 249. 
Dighton Rock, 26. 
Doniphan, Colonel, 277. 



INDEX. 



365 



Dorchester, Mass., 62. 

Dorchester Heights, 1S3, 192. 

"Dove," The, 121. 

Dover, N.H., 66. 

Dred Scott Decision, 2S5. 

Driiilletes, Father, 136. 

Dudingston, Lieutenant, i6g. 

Dupon't, Admiral, 310. 

Duston, Thomas, 144 

Dutch Times in New York, 88. 



Early, Gen. Jlbal, 312. 

East Cambridge, Mass., 179. 

Eliot, Rev. John, 136. 

Eiizabethlown, N.J., 99- 

El Mo'ino del Key, 276. 

Ellsworth, Colonel. 296. 

Emancipation Proclamations, 305, 306. 

Emerson, R. W , 32S. 

Endicott, John, 61, 74. 

Ericsson, Captain, 301. 

Erie Canal, The, 260. 

" Essex," The, 250. 

Everett, Edward, 265. 

Everglades, The, 263, 264. 



F. 



Fairbvnks, Jonas, 78. 

Fair Oaks, Battle of, 298. 

Fall River, Mass., 26, 137. 

Faneuil Hall, 172. 

Farragut, Admiral, 303, 313. 

Fifteenth Amendment, The, 326. 

Fillmore, Millard, President, 280 

Fitch, John, 2ti- 

Five Nations, The, 127, 150. 

Flag, United States, 199. 

Florida, 42, 47, 52, 77, 126, 128, 129, 

253, 25 1, 263, 264, 2S9. 
"Flying Machine," The, 106. 
Flynt, Alice, 78. 
Forrest, General, 311. 
Fort Donelson, 302. 
Fort Du Quesne. 152, 154, '77- 
Fort Fisher, 316. 
Fort Hatteras, 297. 
Fort Moultrie, 290, 291. 
Fort Pillow Massacre, 311, 319- 
Fort Pulaski, 302. 
Fort St. George, 53. 
Fort Sumter, 290, 291, 293. 
Fort Wairner, 3 10. 
Fortress Monroe, 236. 
Foster, General, 315. 



Fox, C. J , 174- 
Foxes, The, 263. 
Franklin, Dr. Benjamm, 151, 194, 195, 

206, 227, 32S. 
Frederick City, Md.,300. 
Fredericksburg, Va., 300. 
Freedmen's Bureau, 324. 
Freesoil Party, 279, 280. 
Fremont, Gen. J. C , 277, 305. 
French and Indian Wars, 139, 141. 
p'rietchie, Barbara, 299. 
F'ugitive Slave Law, 281. 
Fulton, Robert, 241. 



G. 

Gadsden Purchase, The, 2S4. 
Gage, General, 166, 17S, 1S3, 184. 
Garner, M.irgaret, 2S1 
Garrison, W. L., 264, 265, 268. 
"G.aspee," The, 169. 
Gates, General, 206. 
Geneva Tribunal, The, 326. ^^ 

" Genius of Universal Emancipation, 

The, 264. 
Georgia, 127, 129, 130, 159, 226, 234, 

253, 264, 2S9, 290. 
Gettysburg, Peiin., Battle of, 306. 
Giddings, J. R., 281. 
Gillmore, General, 310. 
Goffe, William, 138. 
Gorton, Samuel, 78. 
Gosnold, Bartholomew, si. 
Grant, U. S., President, 302, 3>'. 3 12. 

3 16, 326. 
Gray, Capt. Robert, 246 
Great March, The, 315. 
Green Mountain Boys, 229. 
Greene, Mrs., 226. 
Greene, Gen. N., 183. 
Greenland, 89. 
Grierson, Colonel. 308. 
Groton, Mass., 174. 
Guadaloupe Hidalgo, Treaty of, 277, 

2S4. 
Gudrid, 29. 

" Guerriere," The, 240. 
Guilford, Conn., Old House in, 77. 

H. 

Hadi.ev, Mass., i37t 'i^- 

Hale, John P , 2S1 

'■ Half-Moon," The, 88. 

Halifax, N.S., 192. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 215, 221, 242. 

Hancock, John, 1/9, 197. 



366 



YOUNG folks' united STATES. 



Harper's Ferry, Va., 286, 287,288. 
Harrison, W. ti., President, 249, 267, 

269, 270. 
Hartford, Conn., 71, 96, 175, 249. 
Harvard University, 86, iiS, 1S4. 
Havana, 39. 
Haverliill, Mass., 144. 
Hawley, Major, 176. 
Hawthorne, N., 328 
Heights of Abraham, The, 155. 
Henry, Patrick, 163, 164, 176. 
Hertel de Rouville, 146. 
Hiawalha, Legend of, iS. 
Higginsoii, Rev. Francis, 62, 63. 
Higginson, Rev. John, 87. 
Hooker, Gen. J., 72, 306, 309. 
Hopeton, O., Mounds at, 7. 
Hosmer, Harriet, 328. 
Howe, General, 185, 192. 
Hudson, Henry, 88. 
Hudson River, go, 150, 181, 209, 241, 

270. 
Hudson's Bay, 42. 
Huguenots, The, 125. 
Hull, General, 249. 
Humphreys, General, 317. 
Hunter, Gen. David, 3c3,3o4, 310. 
Hurlgate, 70, 91. 
Hurons, The, 13. 
Hutchinson, Anne, 70. 
Hutchinson, Chief Justice, 165, 172. 



Iceland, 27, 31. 

Illinois, 255,270, 289. 

Illinois River, 139, 244. 

Impeachment of President Johnson, 

325- 
Inauguration Ball, 224. 
India, Voyages in Search of, 33, 4^, 47, 

49- 
Indiana, 252, 256. 
Indians, American, 14, 8g, 91, 93, 96, 103, 

106, 115, 131, 139, 142, isi, 154- >77- 
Indians, American, Wars with, 131, 142. 
Iowa, 27S, 283. 
Iroquois, The, 13. 
Irving, W., 328. 
Island No. 10, 302. 
Isles of Shoals, 115. 



Jackson, Andrew, President, 251, 

253, 262, 263, 265, 306. 
Jacksonville, Fla., 3 10, 



Jamaica, 37. 

James River, The, 113, 117. 

Jamestown, Va., 50, 110, 113, 116, 117, 

139- 
Jay, John, 220 
Jefferson, Thomas, President, 183, ig6, 

221, 231, 235, 239, 241, 243, 255. 
Jerry Rescue, 281. 

Johnson, Andrew, President, 323, 324. 
Johnston, Gen. A. S., 302. 
Jones, Capt. John Paul, 200, 207. 

K. 

Kansas, 282, 284, 286. 
Kearny, Gen. Stephen, 277. 
" Kearsarge," The, 312. 
Kennebec River, 53, 57. 
Kent Island, Md., 121. 
Kentucky, 229, 230, 231, 252. 
Kieft, William, 96. 
Kilpatrick, General, 310. 
King George's War, 143. 
King Philip's War, 137, 138. 
King William's War, 143. 
King's College, 98. 
Know-Nothing Party, 2S5. 
Kosciuszko, General, 204. 



L. 



Labrador, 41. 

La Fayette, General, 205, 256. 

Lake Champlain, 67. 

Lake Erie, 25c, 260, 285. 

Lake Michigan, 243. 

Lake Superior, 9. 

Lane, Gen. J. H., 283, 306. 

La Salle, 244, 271. 

Lawrence, Captain, 249. 

" Lawrence," The, 250. 

Lawrence, Kan., 284. 

Lee, Gen. R. E., 189, 299, 318. 

Lee, Richard Henry, 195. 

Leif the Lucky, 28. 

Lewis and Clark's Expedition, 241;, 273. 

Lewistown, Del., First School for Girls, 

105. 
Lexington, Mass., 178, 181, ig6. 
Leyden, 133. 
" Liberator," The, 264. 
" Liberty and Property," 165. 
Liberty Party, 273, 279. 
Liberty-Tree, 165, 166. 
Lincoln, Abraham, President, 289, 294, 

303, 320, 322. 
Lincoln, Abraham, President, Extract 

from Inaugural Address, 320. 



36: 



Lincoln, Abraham, President, Extract 

from Gettysburg Address, 329. 
Livingston, R. K., ig6. 
Locke, Jolin, 125. 
" Log-Cabin Candidate," 269. 
London Company, The, 52. 
Longfellow, ri. W., iS, 26, 32S. 
Long Island, 71, 96. 
Long River, 230. 
Lookout IMountam, Tenn., Battle of, 

Louisburg, 148, 176, 177. 

Louisiana Purchase, 230^ 244, 266, 27S, 

282, 292. 
Louisiana, State of, 253, 280, 289, 293. 
Lovejoy, Rev. E. P., 268. 
Lundy, Benjamin, 264. 
Lyon, Gen. N., 297. 



M. 



McClellan, Gen. G. B., 296, 297, 299, 

300. 
McDowell, General, 296. 
Madison, Jjmes, President, 24S, 253. 
Maine, 52, 65, 83, 87, 115, 137, 209, 255, 

257,270. 
Malvern Hills, Va., Battle of, 298. 
Mammoth, The, 2. 
Mandans, The, 246. 
Manhattan Island, 91, 99. 
Mann, Horace, 2S1. 
Maps, Early, 4S, 49. 
Marblehead, Mass., 148, 174. 
Marietta, O., Mounds at, 10. 
Marion, Gen. Francis, 20S. 
Maroons, The, 264. 
Maryland, 42, 70, 121, 122, 123, 159, 160, 

165, 285, 295. 
Massachusetts, The, 13. 
Massachusetts Bay Colony, 60, 72, 74, 

200. 
Massachusetts, 81, 93, 96, 106, 136, 148, 

159, 164, 173, 178, 183, 195, 214, 226, 

231, 240, 2S7, 259, 295. 
Mason, Cajit. (. 134. 
Mason, J. M.,298. 
Mason and Dixon's Line, 123. 
Mastodon, The, 2. 
" Mayflower," The, 56, 57, 59, 61. 
Mayhews, The, 136. 
Meade, Gen. G. G., 30?",. 
Med, a Slave-Child, 268. 
Medford, Mass., 179. 
" Merrimack" and " Monitor," Contest 

of, 300. 
Merrimack River, 145. 
Merry Moimt, 74. 
Mexican War, 273, 2S0, 281, 2S4. 



Mexico, 44, 50, 271, 276, 284. 

Mexico, Gulf of, 244. 

Michigan, 266. 

Minnesota, 292. 

Mississippi, 6, 7, 12, 156, 234, 257. 

Mississippi River, 139, 230, 234, 243, 

244, 252, 293. 
Missouri, 255, 270, 283, 286, 297. 
Missouri Compromise, The, 256, 282. 
Missouri River, 283. 
Mobile Bay, Naval Action in, 313. 
Mohegans, The, 13. 
" Monitor," The, 300. 
Monitors, 310, 314. 
Monongahela, The, 152. 
Monroe, James, President, 248, 253. 
Montcalm, General, 155. 
Monterey, Battle of, 275. 
Monterey, Cal., 277. 
Montgomery, General, 2S3. 
Morgan, General, 308. 
Mormons, The, 270, 282. 
Morosa, a Name for Virginia, 52. 
Morse, Prof. S. F. B., 273, 328. 
Morton, W. T. G., 328 
Mound-Builders, The, 14. 
Mount Hope, 137. 



N. 



" Narragansetts," The, 13, 26, 69, 

138. 
Narragansett Bay, 169. 
Nashville, Tenn., 302. 
Natick, ftlass., Indian Village at, 136. 
National Road, The, 252. 
Nauvoo, 111., 270. 
Nebraska, 282, 284, 325. 
Nevada, 325. 
New Amsterdam, 91, 93. 
New Brunswick, 270. 
New Hampshire, 66, 67, 83, 115, 14S, 

159, 183, 206, 229, 26S. 
New Haven, Conn., 72, 87. 
New Jersey, 98, 99, 140, 159, 203. 
New Mexico, 10, 277, 2S2, 2S4. 
New Netherlands, 72, gi, 93, 95, 97, 

107. 
New Orleans, La., 150,251, 252, 262, 303. 
New Sweden, 107, 108. 
New York, 67, 72, 98, 127, 140 159, 165, 

196, ig8, 215, 229, 260, 267, 270, 272, 

280, 291;. 
New York, City of, 44, 91, 103, 106, 166, 

173, 199,202,203, 211, 212, 217, 218, 

241, 260, 295. 
Newfoundland, 156. 
Newport, R.I., 25, 26, 44, 169, 211. 
Newport, Captain, no. 



368 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



Niagara, 154. 

North Carolina, 44, 159, 179, 215, 231, 

2gi. 
Northampton, Mass., 176. 
Northmen, The, 25, 26, 28. 
North-west Territory, The, 231, [243, 

266, 279. 
Nova Scotia, 29, 44, 148, 177. 
Nueces River, 274. 



o. 



Oglethorpe, Gen. James, 127. 

Ohio, 6, 149, 1521 248, 252. 

Ohio River, 13), 231, 253. 

Old French and Indian War, The, 151 

Old Stone Mill at Newport, R.I., 25. 

Old Point Comfort, Va., 113. 

Old South Church, Boston, 172. 

Oliver, Andrew, 165. 

" Onrust," or " Unrest," The, gi. 

Oregon, 273, 292. 

Orleans, Territory of, 253. 

Osceola, 264. 

Ossawattomie, Kansas, 283. 

Otis, James, 164. 



P\ciFic Railway, The, 327. 

Pacific Ocean, The, 11, 43. 

Paije, William, 328. 

Paine, Thomas, 195, 241. 

P.ilo Alto, B.ittle of, 274. 

Patroons, 92, 270. 

Park;r, Capt. Isaac, 179. 

Penn, William, loi, 139, 140, 141. 

Pennsylvania, 101, 104, 107, 123, 139, 140, 

I59i i95t 203. 
Pennsylvania Hall, Burnin'; of, 268. 
" Pennsylvania Journal," The, 199. 
Pepperrell, Gen. William, 148. 
Pequots, The, 13. 
Percy, Lord, 1S2. 
Ferry, Com. M. C, 276, 284. 
Perry, Com. O. H., 250. 
Phelps, Gen. J. W., 303. 
Philadelphia, Penn., 98, 103, loq, 151, 

173, 176, 194, 200, 204, 212, 215, 224, 

227, 232. 
" Philadelphia," The. 237. 
Pierce, Franklin, President, 282. 
Pirjrrims, The, 56, 63, 67, 131. 
Pinckney, C. C, 233. 
Pine Tree Flag, The, 200. 
Pitcairn. Major, 179. 
Piit, William, Earl of Chatham, 165. 



Pittsburg, Penn., 152. 

Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., Battle of, 

302. 
Plymouth, Mass., 115. 
Plymouth, Mass., Colony, 55, 62, 64, 

95, '31- 
Plymouth Company, 52. 
Pocahontas, 1 15. 
Polk, James K., President, 273. 
Pontiac, 249. 

Poor Richard's Almanack, 227. 
Popham, George, his Colony, 53. 
Port Hudson, Surrender of, 308. 
Porter, Com. David, 250. 
Port Royal, S.C., 124, 297. 
Porto Rico, 37. 
Portsmouth, N.H., 66, 67, 87. 
Potatoes, Introduction of, 52. 
Potomac, 241. 
Powers, H., 328. 
Powhatan, 1 15. 

Prescott, General, 183, 184, 185. 
Preston, Captain, 168. 
Price, Dr., 195. 
Princeton, N.J., 100, 204. 
Pring, Martin, 66. 
Privateers, Confederate, 312. 
Provincial Congress, 178, 186. 
Providence, R.I., 69, i6g, 170. 
Pueblo Indians, The, 10. 
Pulaski, General, 205. 
Puritans, The, 15,62,63,81, 85, 104, 122, 

136, 138. 
Putnam, Gen. Israel, 177, 183, 1S4, 185, 

186, 187, igi. 



Q- 



Quakers, The, 80, 81,99, 106, 119, 122, 

140. 
Quebec, 150, 155, 156, 177. 
Queen Anne's War, 143. 
Quincy, Josiah, 240. 



R. 



Rafn, Professor, 25. 

Railroad, P'irst American, 260. 

Ramsey, James, 241. 

Rebellion, War of the, 285, 291, 293. 

Reconstruction Acts, 324. 

Red River Expedition, The, 310. 

" Redeemed Captive," The, 147. 

Reed, Adjutant-General, 199, 207. 

Republican Partv, 279, 2S5, 289. 

Resaca de la Palma, 274. 

Revere, Paul, 179. 



INDEX. 



369 



Revolutionary War, 159, 207, 221, 228, 

232, 241, 253, 259. 
Rhode Island, 29, 68, 70, 74, 83, 84, 87, 

13S, 159, 165, 173, 183, 191, 215, 270. 
Ribault, Jean, 124. 
Richmond, Va., 296, 317. 
Rio Grande, The, 274, 277. 
Roanoke Island, 51, 302. 
Robinson, Rev. John, 56, 133. 
Rocky Mountains, 244, 245. 
Rosecrans, General, 30S. 
Roxbury, Mass., 62. 



s. 



Sacramento River, 277, 278. 

Sacs, The, 263. 

St. Augustine, Fla., 43, 50, 126, 129, 271. 

St. Lawrence, The, 49. 

St. Louis, Mo., 246. 

"St. Mary's, Pilgrims of," 121. 

St. Simon's Island, 129. 

Salem, Mass., 61, 62, 63, 87, 95. 

Salt Licks, Ky., 230. 

Sandy Hook, 89. 

San Francisco, Cal., 27S. 

Sanitary Commission, The, 318. 

San Juan d'Ulloa, 276. 

Santa Anna, General, 275. 

Saratoga, N.Y., 206. 

Savannah, Ga., 128, 129, 212, 226. 

Saxton, Gen. Rufus, 306. 

Schoolcraft, H. R., 19. 

Schuyler, Philip, 189. 

Schuylkill River, The, 201. 

Scott, Gen. Winfield, 206, 263, 275, 296, 

297. 
Seguin, 71. 

Semmes, Captain, 313. 
Seminoles, The, 253, 263. 
"Serapis," The, 207, 208. 
" Seven Days' Battles, The," 298. 
Sewall, Chief Justice, 82, 87. 
Seward, W. H., 322, 327. 
Seymour, General, 310. 
Shadrach Rescue, The, 281. 
Shaw, Colonel, 312. 
Shay's Rebellion, 214. 
"Shenandoah," The, 312. 
Sheridan, Gen. P. H., 312, 316, 317, 318. 
Sherman, Gen. W. T., 309, 311, 315. 
Shoshones, The, 246. 
Six Nations, The, 13, 127, 150. 
"Skeleton in Armor," The, 26. 
Skraelings, The, 29. 
Slavery, .\merican, 87, 92, 104, 117, 123, 

126, 268, 271, 279, 2S0. 
Slidell, J., 298. 
Smith, Capt. J., 58, 65, iio, 114, 116. 

24 



Smith, Joseph, 270. 

South Carolina, 52, 129, 159, 173, 208, 

23S, 262, 263, 265, 289, 290, 297. 
South Mountain, Va., Battle of, 299. 
"Speedwell," The, 56, 57. 
Spencer, General, 1S3. 
Stamp Act, The, 161, 162, 163, 165, 166. 
Standish, Lora, 59. 
Standish, Capt. Miles, 58, 59, 78, 133. 
Stanton, E. M., 327. 
Stark, Gen. John, 183, 205, 206. 
Stark, Molly, 206. 
" Star of the West," The, 390. 
Staten Island, 91. 
Stephens, A. H., 290, 291. 
Steuben, General, 205. 
Stillwater, N.Y., Battle of, 206. 
Stockton, Commodore, 277. 
Stonnigton, Conn., 134. 
Stony Mountains, The, 246. 
Stony Point, N.Y., Storming of, 207. 
Story, W. \V., 328. 
Stuyvesant, Peter, 97, io8. 
Sumner, Charles, 2S1, 327. 
Sumter, Gen. Thomas, 208. 
Sutter, Captain, 278. 
Snorri, 29. 
Sylvania, 102. 

T. 

Tariff, The, 261, 262. 

Taylor, Zachary, President, 274,275, 280. 

Tea-party, Boston, 172. 

Tecumseh, 249, 269. 

Tennessee, 230, 231, 291. 

"Tennessee," The, 314. 

Terry, Gen. A. T., 316. 

Texas, 267, 268, 271, 277, 289. 

"The Selling of Joseph," a tract, 87. 

Thomas, General, 309. 

Thompson, John, Hatter, 197. 

Ticonderoga, 154, 205. 

"Tiger," The, gi. 

Tippecanoe, O., 249, 269, 

Tobacco, Introduction of, 52. 

Tories, The, 176. 

Townshend, Charles, 162. 

Trenton, N.J., 203, 217. 

Tri-mountain, 62. 

Turner, Nat, 265 

Tuscaroras, The, 126. 

Tyler, John. 269, 270, 271. 

Tyrker, 28. 

u. 

Underhill, Captain, 134. 
United Colonies, 177, 196. 



37° 



YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. 



United States, rgg, 215. 
United States Constitution, 215. 
University of Pennsylvania, 115. 
Upper California, 277. 
Utah, 271, 2S2. 

V. 

Valley Forge, Penn., 204, 206. 

Van Buren, Martin, President, 267, 268, 
269. 

Van Rensselaer, General, 249. 

Vera Cruz, Mexico, 275, 276. 

Vermont, 67, 83, 206, 229. 

Verrazzano, 44, 45. 

Vespucius, Americus, 37. 

Vicksburg, Miss., 304, 307. 

Vinland, 29, 31, 33, 34. 

Virginia, 515 52, 53, 56, 86, 106, 109, no, 
139, 152, 154, 159, 163, 164, 175, 189, 
190, 195, 196, 217, 229, 230,233,234, 
236, 240, 248, 253, 254, 265, 270, 286, 
288, 291, 296, 297. 



w. 



Wadsworth, William, 83, 84. 

Walking Purchase, The, 141. 

Wampanoags, 13. 

Warner, Seth, 229. 

Ward, Gen. Artemas, 183, 189. 

Warren, Gen. G. K., 317. 

Warren, Gen. Joseph, 177, il ,, ^ 

Washington, George, President, 149, 
150, 152, 153, 154, 177, 189, 190, 191, 
192, 211, 212, 214, 215, 217,218,220, 
221, 222, 224, 225, 226, 229,231,233, 
239) 255, 283, 286, 288, 295, 296, 297. 



184, 185. 



Washington, Mrs. Martha, 223. 
Washington, D.C., 232, 251, 
Watertown, Mass., 69. 
Wayne, Gen. Anthony, 207. 
Webster, Daniel, 270, 281. 
Weitzel, Gen. G., 317. 
" Welcome," The, 102. 
Wentworth, Benning, 67. 
Wesley, Rev. Charles, 129. 
Wesley, Rev. John, 129. 
West Point, N.Y., 209, 210. 
West Virginia, 325. 
Whalley, Richard, 138. 
Wheehng, Va., 252. 
White, Peregrine, 59. 
Whitefield, Rev. George, 76, 129. 
Whitney, Eh, 226. 
Whittier, J. G., 299, 328. 
William and Mary College, 118. 
Williams, Rev. John, 146. 
Williams, Rev. Roger, 68, 70, 134. 
Wilmot Proviso, The, 279. 
Windham, Conn., 174. 
Windsor, Conn., 71. 
Wmslow, Captain, 138. 
Winthrop, John, 62, 63, 64, 67, 69. 
Wisconsin, 278, 279. 
Wise, Governor, 288. 
Wolfe, General, 155, 162. 
Worcester, Mass., 178. 
Worden, Commodore, 301. 
Wyoming, Penn., 207. 



Yale College, 86, 226. 
York River, 211. 
Yorktown, Va., 211, 212. 
Young, Brigham, 282. 



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